Dances in the Glen
by SaiyanBlack
Summary: (AU) Set in the American Midwest, Relena, a girl near the Iowa woods, wishes the daily repitition in her town would end. Now, she's caught up in an Indian war against her brother. She should be careful what she wishes for...
1. Fade to Black

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Dances in the Glen  
  
By SaiyanBlack  
  
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Relena massaged the muscles in her arms and shoulders, letting a tired sigh escape her. This work was so stressing, no wonder her mother wouldn't do it! Of course, because the lady of the house refused to do it, the job either got put on Relena or the maid, who was currently doing her usual chores around the two-story house. Sometimes Relena felt like strangling her mother she was so lazy. . . . but that was no way for a well bred lady to act. So she put up with it, doing more chores than was necessary because of the older woman's lack of household interest.  
  
But who was she to complain? Her father was the mayor and her mother was the finest lady in the county. Her brother was a general in the nation's army and kept the Indians out of settler territory in Iowa. She had everything she could ever ask for, though that wasn't much, and a good home. Relena could say that she was being slightly neglected by her immediate family, but she had friends. . . . okay, okay. Only one, but for her it was enough.  
  
Putting a determined look on, she re-rolled her sleeves and put her hands back into the steaming, starchy water. Hilde was a good friend. The petite, short-haired girl was almost the complete opposite of her, but they were the best of friends. Their upbringing was different, Relena being raised by a wealthy, high class family that moved to the Midwest from Massachusetts and Hilde living in a large family on a farm in Iowa Territory all her life. But somehow, despite their differences in both family and personality, they had become friends the first day Relena went to the small one room school that occupied the town near the bank.  
  
Jefferson was a small town filled with mostly farmers that lived just outside of town, a few merchants that ran shops in town and a handful politicians like her father. The population over all was rather small and close knit. From her place in the yard between the stables and the house, she could see men and women going about their normal daily business. There was Mrs. Une, walking on her own to the bank. Relena knew she was headed to the bank because her husband was the one that ran it and she was taking his midday meal to him like she always did. The blonde let out another sigh and pulled her father's shirt out of the water, ringing it out and placing it in the basket next to her on the grass. The town was so predictable that you knew what everyone was doing at that moment. The Schbeiker's, Hilde's family, were more than likely to be working on the farm, her father and brothers in the fields, her mother and older sister in the kitchen making bread for the week, her younger sisters cleaning the house or working on their letters. Hilde herself was probably doing exactly what Relena was, the laundry.  
  
Sometimes, she wished something would happen, something unusual. It didn't have to be tragic or dangerous, just something outside of the daily rituals of the townspeople. Maybe a stranger would come to town or a new family would move in.  
  
'Oh, yeah Relena,' she thought to herself as she rung out the last piece of laundry and tossed it into the basket, 'that's real exciting.'  
  
She sighed again as she picked up the basket, shifting it onto her hip and carrying it to the clothes line that hung near the back porch. One by one she hung the articles, everything from her father's white shirts to her mother's petticoats to her own stockings. The clean breeze blew across the fields and took the dampness out of the cotton and wool. With the laundry done, Relena picked up the basket again and carried the empty wicker into the house through the back porch.  
  
"Miss Relena," a soft voice drew her to the stairs where the maid, a young Irish woman in her early twenties named Anna stood. "We're running out of flour and cheese, would you like me to run down to the Store, or would you like to?"  
  
Relena shrugged, "You may get it, if you want." The woman nodded and proceeded to wrap her shawl around her shoulders. "Tell me, is there anything more to do today?" Relena asked.  
  
The redhead shook her head, "No Miss. Just supper."  
  
The blonde teen nodded, "Very well then. I'll retrieve the laundry later in the day."  
  
"Good day, Miss Relena," the older woman said as she closed the front door behind her.  
  
Relena looked at the closed panel, for some reason suddenly depressed. "Yes. Good day, Anna." She placed the basket near the back door before walking up the long flight of stairs to the upper story, where she immediately turned into her bedroom. Finding a book on the bedside table, she picked it up, flopping onto her bed in a way that would have made her mother furious. She could just imagine what the woman would say if she'd seen it.  
  
"Relena Peacecraft! That is no way for a lady to be acting! You don't flop, you sit."  
  
The teen sighed and opened the worn book, a book she had read many times in many places. "Little Women" was one of her favorite stories, no matter how unethical her mother thought it was. It showed that women can be the leaders of their own lives and she wished with all her heart that she could be that way. She'd read this book in trees with Hilde, reciting it like some sort of play, just like Jo and her sisters. She read it in the shady grass by the creek and in the hayloft in the stables when she needed to be alone. She must have read the book over fifty times and still she never tired of flipping the creased and worn pages.  
  
And that's how she fell asleep, lying on her bed with her shoes and work apron still on, the book resting on her chest where she had placed it to rest her eyes. In her dreams she saw a man, different from the Lorry that she had just read about, who rode up on a black horse and rode away with her into the dusk, with the orange of the setting sun at their backs.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * *  
  
When she woke it was to the light that filtered through her window and onto her face. It moved and shifted like there was a tree attempting to block its light. The orange glow startled her and she realized with a start that she had slept well into the evening. She jumped out of bed, unconsciously stuffing the book into her apron pocket as she ran down the stairs. She had forgotten the laundry on the line outside! Surely she was going to have an earful about doing chores properly and neglecting them in the first place.  
  
The smell of burning caught her as she rushed past the kitchen and she automatically dismissed it as Anna's cooking. The girl was known to burn things every once in a while. Relena grabbed the wicker basket at the back door and rushed outside to claim the clothes. The burning smell seemed to increase but she paid it no mind, too intent on reaching the line to finish her chore before her mother noticed. The heat of the setting sun was at her back and it seemed unusually blistering for this time of day. But as she plucked a sheet off the line and was given an unobstructed view of the town, she saw that it was no setting sun that was giving off the hot, orange light. . . . but fire. It had consumed the whole right side of her beautiful house, where the kitchen and the lounge were and it was growing rapidly. Eating up the dry and lacquered wood the building was made of.  
  
Screams were finally brought to her attention as well as the sound of hoof beats. Slowly, scared of what she might see, Relena turned. Only to come face to face with burning trees and a stable and barn in flames. The smell of cooked flesh reached her nose and she turned away in disgust. This was horrible! What was going on? Who did this? Vaguely she registered that it wasn't only her house that was burning, but most of the other buildings in town including the bank.  
  
The hoof beats came closer and she saw a horse and rider herding the animals out of her barn. Several of the horses too. Just by seeing the man from the distance and seeing his bare chest and hide pants, she knew it was an Indian. Deep blue eyes focused on her still form and the animals were forgotten momentarily as they ran toward the forest where no doubt more Indians waited to catch them.  
  
Relena stood, completely paralyzed with fear as the rider rode toward her on a midnight black stallion. The man leaned to the side, hanging onto the horse's back with his knees and hooked his arm around her waist, pulling her up onto the creature's shoulders in front of the rider. It all happened so fast and it took Relena a moment to realize what was happening. But by that time they had already ridden into the trees, the orange blaze that destroyed her town at their backs.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
The girl shivered yet again, but she refused to get any closer to him than necessary. She sat, back straight hands folded into her lap, completely ignoring his arm on her waist to hold her steady. That was all fine with the brave. He surveyed the shadows that were the others in his party, only a couple of them had captives, him being one of them.  
  
The low sound of hoofs crunching leaves signaled the arrival of another horse, this one a dapple gray only a few shades lighter than his own steed. The young brave that was situated on the tall creature's back had long braided hair that clinked softly from the beads that were threaded into it. Behind him, clutching onto the back of his hide vest with her eyes tightly closed like the material was a lifeline, was a girl with short dark hair. She seemed to be about the age of the blonde in front of him.  
  
"Hey, Heero!" the braided Indian greeted quietly, riding up beside him. "I see you got yourself a girl. And she's pretty too."  
  
"I didn't get myself anything, Duo. She was just standing there while her house was burning down."  
  
"And you just thought you'd be the hero and go save her when it was you that set fire to her house in the first place?" the other teen said incredulously, receiving a glare in reply. "Hey," he put his hands up in surrender, holding onto his horse with his knees, "you're the leader of this raid. You can do whatever you damn well please."  
  
"This is not a raid. Treize sent us out to declare war on General Peacecraft and the white men."  
  
The girl, who had been ignoring him and Duo, jumped in her place on the horse's withers. Cornflower blue eyes looked up at Heero with a mixture of surprise and horror. The short haired brave took a moment think over his last statement for anything this white girl would have understood. Ah, that was it. He'd picked her up behind the Peacecraft house; she must have recognized the name. From his knowledge of the white man's culture, she had probably been a servant in the home.  
  
The girl's blonde hair whipped him in the face as she spun around to look behind her at where Duo rode next to them. She took a moment to look at the other Indian before tensing up as her blue eyes fell on the other girl.  
  
"Hilde!" she cried before Heero slapped his hand over her mouth. He didn't know what the word meant but it made the short haired girl snap her eyes open and look up.  
  
"Relena!" the girl yelled just as Duo put a hand over her mouth also. The two girls struggled and the two braves shared a look.  
  
"Gah!" Duo pulled his hand away and shook it in the air above his head. "That white girl just bit me!" he exclaimed to Heero who was holding the blonde girl tight so she wouldn't fall off the horse. Neither of the animals stopped their trek through the woody terrain as their burdens moved and talked.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
Relena shivered for the millionth time she'd been in the woods, at night, on a pitch black horse, with the left tanned bare arm of a male Indian around her waist. What had she done to deserve this? Only this morning . . . or yesterday, depending on what time it happened to be, she was wishing that something interesting would happen to the town. Then she awoke later to find that the same town was in flames, including her own house, and get kidnapped by some Indian brave and carried off into the woods like so many of the other young women and small children.  
  
She didn't notice the other horse and Indian until he spoke and the one behind her answered. They're voices were some what hushed as if they were trying not to disturb the silence of the forest.  
  
"Kahsu'ato Heero! Lemitu yenti'suo taoloo cheysu. Imuo huon me'uhe," the first voice was light hearted and almost joking.  
  
"Hei yenti'ome, Duo," the second was deep and monotone, she shivered yet again. Great that was the voice of the man holding her. With an emotionless voice like that she would bet her family's house that he was as much of a savage as all Americans pinned them to be . . . wait that house was burnt down. Not that it mattered. She blocked out on their conversation since she didn't understand a single word of it. But she jumped when she did recognize a word. "General Peacecraft" had come out of the mouth of the brave behind her.  
  
It surprised her so much she jumped and turned to look up at him. What she saw surprised her. Since getting picked up she hadn't taken the time to look at him. He had short dark brown hair that fell over and into his face hiding beautiful, deep blue eyes. His voice and his expression were emotionless, but his eyes sure weren't. They held mild surprise and fleeting confusion before they were placed under an obvious mask. His bare chest and arms were well sculpted and on his right shoulder was a pattern of circles in what she assumed was blue and yellow war paint.  
  
She turned rapidly to look behind her at where the other brave rode next to the black horse they sat on. Relena looked him over, surprised to see he looked similar to the one with his arm around her. Except that this one had long brown hair that, even braided, was longer than her own honey blonde locks. His eyes were more of a violet color and he had a detached, but intrigued expression. Her eyes wondered over him for a moment before she noticed the girl behind him on the dark gray horse. Dark, short hair, small upturned nose. If her eyes had been open they would have be a dark blue, even darker than those of her captor.  
  
"Hilde!" she yelled over to catch the other girl's attention. A huge hand came around her head and slapped over her mouth a little more harshly than it could have been. The short haired girl snapped her eyes open and met with Relena's.  
  
"Relena!" Hilde cried but received the same treatment for the outburst. Even from in front of her, the long haired Indian was able to silence the other girl. Relena tried to pull the hand away from her face and she was vaguely aware of her best friend doing the same thing. And she succeeded somewhat. The short haired girl opened her mouth and bit down onto the hand making the owner pull away the abused appendage with a hushed exclamation.  
  
"Gah! Fe'suta cheysu mehoko aku'e!" he said to the brave behind Relena while shaking his hand in the air in an exaggerated manner. Hilde took that advantage to make sure that the blonde was okay.  
  
"Relena! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"  
  
She would have loved to answer but found it was impossible with the large hand over her mouth. The brave that Hilde sat with grabbed her around the waist and pulled her from behind him to almost sitting in his lap in one fluid motion. The only reaction she had was a high pitched "eep" before his hand was back over her mouth.  
  
"Silence," the long haired one said to firmly Hilde in English. He had an odd accent. Both girls looked up at him with surprise clear in their eyes. All struggles immediately stopped from shock.  
  
"Good. Now stay that way," the one holding Relena told them in his emotionless voice. The two girls shared a look before sitting quietly. They didn't need to add death to the list of things that happened in the past twenty-four hours. Relena reflected on her wish for something interesting to happen. She guessed the saying had some backing to it.  
  
Be careful what you wish for . . . . 


	2. Like Humans Do

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Dances in the Glen  
  
By SaiyanBlack  
  
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IMPORTANT NOTE: the Indian tribe in this story is completely fictional, as well as their language, because I didn't want to dishonor an actual tribe's traditions and history by getting it completely wrong. This story is also not historically correct (so don't use it for any reports or anything like that) and characters and events have been created to keep the story interesting and original. If you are interested in knowing the meaning of certain "Indian" words used in this story, you are welcome to drop me an e- mail and I will send you the glossary of the most used words. Note that later on in the story the meaning of the words will come into play and you will find out what they mean even if you don't have the glossary. ^_^  
  
CREDIT: some credit goes to Jennifer Roberson for her work on the language of the Cheysuli in the series "The Chronicles of the Cheysuli." I hope she doesn't decide to sue me . . . . Anyway, it's a really good fantasy series and I recommend it!  
  
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They stopped at a camp later that morning, just as the sun was reaching up over the trees. Heero put two fingers in his mouth and let out a whistle that sounded like a lark. In seconds it was answered by a similar call from in front of them. He directed the horse with his knees through the underbrush and into a clearing that was set up as a temporary village. There was a startled gasp from the girl with him but he ignored it.  
  
Several square-shaped tents dotted the grassy clearing, each with paintings of animals or seasons. Fires glowed in front of each one. They were far enough away from any white man town to have decent cook fires without being spotted. A tall brave with a red slash across his chest from left shoulder to right hip came up to his horse. Green eyes met deep blue and volumes were said between them.  
  
"I take it that the party was successful?" Trowa asked, passing a skin bottle to Heero. He pulled the stopper out and took a swig, letting the cool liquid run down his throat. It soothed his nerves like their shaman had made it to. The sound of steady hooves coming up to them signaled Duo's arrival into the clearing.  
  
"Hey, Heero," the long haired Indian said with a frown, "save some for the rest of us. Not all of us are as used to killing people as you are."  
  
The blue eyed teen gave the other a look and tossed the skin to his over the distance. The girl squirmed again and he looked down on her head.  
  
"You had to kill?" Trowa asked from the ground between the two horses. Heero looked down to him with a blank expression. He closed his eyes to hide the emotion that he knew would show there if he didn't and swung off the black horse.  
  
"We didn't have a choice. They attacked first." He looked up at the blonde girl expectantly. She met his eyes with a confused expression and he sighed. He was tired, though he wouldn't show it, and he'd had it with putting up with the pale girl. Frustrated and too tired to tell her in her native language he reached up and pulled her off the horse's back a little more roughly than he'd meant to. She 'eeped' and fell into him. Placing her on her feet he turned to Trowa.  
  
"We were outside the town by a couple of lengths, scouting the area. We were charged on by a group of men with guns."  
  
"Were they military?" the tall teen asked looking at Duo as he too had to pull his charge off his gray horse. It seemed that he too didn't have the patience to deal with the girl, which in itself was odd, because Duo hardly ever lost his patience. The constant attack on their lands by the white men was wearing even the calmest warriors to the breaking point.  
  
"No," the braided teen answered, "just a band of rag-tag farmers and the like. Apparently one of our scouts had been spotted and they had called all the men and boys out. I didn't see any riches out there, though."  
  
"So it was likely that our target wasn't even in town when you attacked," Trowa decided after listening to his two friends' complete explanations of the raid.  
  
"Yes. If he had been, no doubt that we would not have made it to the town itself," Heero told him, "Not only would there have been military soldiers but the townsmen would have been more organized than they were."  
  
Heero brushed the soft black bridge of his horse's nose and walked into the camp. Trowa and Duo walked with him the two horses following behind their riders without being led. The two white girls were another matter. They stood behind with each other as the three braves moved away. Heero glanced back at them then looked up at Trowa who towered over him and Duo by only a couple of inches.  
  
"Would you take them to your rujholla? We'll meet you in Quatre's hut."  
  
Trowa nodded and watched as both of the other warriors walked off to tend to their horses before they started the council with Quatre and Wufei. They probably wouldn't even take some time to eat and rest for themselves before all of this was over. The tall Indian turned to put the two white girls in his line of sight. They stood together, looking around with a lost and almost frightened look on their faces.  
  
The blonde felt his stare and she met his gaze, poking the other girl in the arm to get her attention while her eyes never left his green. He turned back towards the camp and began to walk to the hut his sister was staying in. Catherine was probably the best person to help get the two girls used to the life of the Resh'ta-ne.  
  
"Come," he said simply in their language. He heard the sound of their hard soled shoes and long skirts against the ground as they scurried to catch up to him. Trowa led them to a large hut near the center of the camp, painted with his symbol of the hawk and pushed aside the flap to enter. As he expected to find her, he saw his sister sitting on several furs, stitching a moccasin out of tanned deer hide and tallow thread. A knit basket of brightly colored beads sat near her lap and a bone needle rested in her hand. She looked up at him with crystal gray eyes.  
  
"Trowa!" she smiled and put her work down. He walked in, putting a hand on her shoulder in greeting. He was aware that the two white girls had followed him, though hesitantly. Crouching down in front of his sister so he was on a more even height with her face, he explained the situation.  
  
"Duo and Heero picked up these two in yesterday's attack on the Peacecraft village," both siblings noticed that the two girls jumped at the name. Trowa continued, "Heero said he picked up the blonde at the general's home. She may be an important piece in this whole thing. Would you take care of these two along with the others you might get?"  
  
Catherine looked at the two girls that were probably the same age as her younger brother. She might be older but he was the man of the family and tradition said that she must do what he told her. But Trowa would never force her to do anything she didn't want unless there was some kind of danger. These two white girls were dirty, scared - though they probably wouldn't show it outright - and tired from a night long ride in the forest. They couldn't pose that much danger.  
  
"How many are there?" she asked her brother.  
  
"Six maybe eight."  
  
She thought about it. "Alright. Is there anything specific you want me to do with them right now?"  
  
Trowa stood, "No. Just get them cleaned up and get them a change of clothes. White man's dresses don't work for the kind of traveling we'll be doing."  
  
His statement made Catherine think of something she'd been meaning to ask him. "How long until we get back to the village?"  
  
He looked away and started toward the door flap. "I don't know," he said, "I'll need to talk to Quatre and the others." And with that he was gone, leaving the two girls with her.  
  
She sighed then looked at the two girls. They both watched her warily, like she was going to attack them or something like that. Looking them over again, she saw that Trowa had been right about their clothing. Their dresses were long and dragging, no doubt with multiple layers underneath the colored outer layer, and their shoes were hard soled and created lots of noise when they walked. They probably weren't even aware of the sound, but to Indian ears it was as loud as a galloping horse through the underbrush.  
  
Catherine stood, putting her needlework off to the side so no one would step on it. Then she walked to another flap toward the back of the hut and pushed it aside. There she collected the basket of hide hand-me-downs she kept for just this reason. She walked back out into the main part of the temporary hut to see that the girls hadn't moved.  
  
"I'm Catherine," she told them in English. "Come, let's get you cleaned up."  
  
They followed her outside and the blonde smiled wearily at her. "I'm Relena and this is Hilde," she motioned to the shorthaired girl walking next to her. Catherine led them to the river where she handed them a basket of soapstone that sat near the water  
  
"Wash up. It's cold, but clean."  
  
Catherine set the clothes on a rock and turned away to give the two girls some privacy. She heard them whisper to each other and the sound of thick clothes hitting the hard packed ground and bodies wading into the water of the river. A duo of gasps made the Indian smile to herself. That water was freezing and it would only get colder as they moved north to the village. The war against the white men was only starting, and this party of braves and warriors were the means to tell the General Peacecraft. This Relena, if she was really from the Peacecraft house like Heero said, then they may have just found the key to the battle.  
  
There was a whistle from the forest in front of her and she walked toward it. Behind the trees, out of sight of the river, stood the dark Wufei. Around him were several frightened and dirty faces of children and young teens. He looked just about to snap, it was no secret the Wufei didn't like children.  
  
"Heero says to clean these up too," his eyes wandered to the river, "Ask those girls to help."  
  
Catherine smacked him upside the head for looking. Several of the children giggled weakly through their remaining tears.  
  
"Woman!" the horse tailed teen roared threateningly. Catherine just glared back and the brave turned back toward the camp, muttering threats and curses.  
  
The Indian woman smiled warmly at the children and motioned for them to follow her. She checked that the two teen girls were somewhat clothed and found that they had pulled two long shirts over their heads. The hide almost went to their knees, leaving most of their legs bare. Catherine approached them.  
  
"Miss Relena! Miss Hilde!" a small girl exclaimed, running up to attach herself to the first girl's leg. The blonde smiled down at the child as several joined her to greet the older girls, who they seemed to know quite well.  
  
"Hil!" a young boy called from the back of the group of kids.  
  
"Devin!" the shorthaired teen ran forward to embrace the boy, who could have only been in his sixth year. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"  
  
"I'm okay," he told her.  
  
"Would you help me clean off these children?" Catherine asked in English, interrupting the reunion. Both girls looked at each other and nodded. The one that introduced herself as Relena pushed the children off her and walked over to the heap of cloth that had once been her dress, ripping off a good half of the outer skirt. Hilde saw what her friend was doing and did the same to her old dress. Catherine watched with interest, wondering why they were tearing apart their old clothes and her interest peaked even more when she saw Relena stuff something into the basket of hide clothing. She put the incident in the back of her mind to check on later and saw Relena and Hilde pile the scraps near the soapstone basket.  
  
"I'll take the boys if you take the girls and the toddlers," Hilde told Relena with a mischievous glint to her tired blue eyes. The blonde smiled in return and directed the two girls, both about the same age as Devin, named Bethany and Theresa. She knew both of them from church and had seen them every once in awhile at the town's small school. Bethany's shoulder length brown hair was an unruly mess and her violet dress and stockings were in shambles. Theresa's black hair was in no better condition and her blue dress was covered in dried mud.  
  
The boys were in the same or worse condition. Jason, Theresa's twin brother was covered in the sandy mud from head to toe and the only thing you could see clearly were his hazel eyes. Adam and Leon were the other boys, Leon being the oldest at twelve. Both were dirty and Adam's feet were bare. The last of the children was a small boy holding onto Bethany that both Relena and Hilde recognized as Eli. If the girls remembered right, he could only be about three.  
  
All three women split the children into groups and they washed them in the river with the cloth rags as washing cloths. Soon they had six tired children, one sleepy toddler, and two extremely weary teens. Catherine made sure each was clothed properly, which meant giving Relena and Hilde pants to go under the long shirts they wore. Unfortunately, the Indian woman didn't have any moccasins on her, but there were a few back at the camp and she could teach the girls how to make them.  
  
She led the group through the woods and back into camp. She whistled to let the sentries know that it was her and her group and a whistle answered it, telling her that she had been recognized. They filed past Quatre's hut, his symbol of the sun above the door flap which was open and had a fire burning at the front. Heero sat in front of the opening with the head of a huge wolf in his lap, Duo sat on the other side of the fire, absently playing with the beads in his braid. He smiled at Catherine, as did a blonde, dark eyed brave standing in the doorway of the square hut known as Quatre. Neither Trowa nor Wufei were in sight.  
  
"Get them ready and rested for travel. We leave tomorrow," Heero told her in his usual monotone voice. He looked her straight in the eyes as he said it, almost challenging her to say no.  
  
Catherine nodded. "You should get some rest yourselves," she said, seeing how tired all three braves present were. Even though they hid it, each had their own way of showing they were worn out to those that knew them well. Trowa's green eyes said it, Wufei's impatience doubling, the firm line of Quatre's mouth, and Duo's endless fidgeting. Heero was harder to see but if you looked hard enough, you could see that mask he wore slipping.  
  
Quatre smiled encouragingly at her, "Don't worry about us. We'll be fine."  
  
Catherine nodded again and directed the group behind her to follow. First it was Jason and Theresa each staying close to the other twin, then it was Adam and Leon after him. Hilde walked with Devin on one side and Bethany on the other, both holding onto her hands. Relena stood there for a moment with Eli on her hip, taking a good look at the brave that had captured her. Heero just looked right back and neither was fazed when the look turned into a glare.  
  
Relena finally broke eye contact, walking after the rest of the group toward Catherine's hut. The three braves around the fire watched her leave and duck into the flap and out of sight.  
  
"You sure know how to pick them, Heero," Duo said with a grin.  
  
The glare still in Prussian blue eyes focused on the longhaired brave. "Shut up, Duo," he growled and looked away after getting his point across.  
  
He didn't look at the hut the blonde girl disappeared into, but almost through it. Less than five minutes ago Duo, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei and he had talked it over. Through all the smoke and dirt, not to mention the lack of proper lighting, neither he nor Duo had seen any resemblances to the General Peacecraft, who they'd seen in person before. But in the morning light, both Trowa and Wufei, the later who seen her at the river and received a smack from Catherine for it, had mentioned that she did look like the white General.  
  
Then as she just walked by, clean and dressed in Indian hides, he saw that the resemblance was there. She wasn't a servant at the Peacecraft house, she was one of them. They had just found an important key in the battle against the settlers. They just had to confirm it.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Relena stirred from her sleep by the sound of voices. By further listening, she named the higher pitched, female voice as Catherine. But the other, male voice she couldn't put a face to. It sounded familiar so it must have been someone that she had seen the day before.  
  
It wasn't the Indian that had captured her, this one's voice wasn't even near deep enough, and it wasn't the one that had gotten Hilde, it lacked the lighthearted tone. The only other man that she'd actually listened to while he talked was the tall one that had brought her and Hilde to Catherine. What had the woman called him at lunch the day before when he came in with meat for the stew-like mixture they had eaten? It was something that started with an 'r'. Or was it a 't'?  
  
"Ci'ama rujho," Relena heard Catherine say quietly in the dark of the tent. "Lucuo mue ei'ala."  
  
"Ha'uwe," was the mumbled reply. "Heero y Duo gua enlo a'mue cheysu. Ti assi wa."  
  
"Ame," was the last thing she heard before a set of quiet footsteps walked out of the tent and swoosh of the door flap falling back into place. Another pair, almost completely silent, walked in the direction of her corner and she saw the tall green eyed brave push aside the curtain. He saw her awake and beckoned her with one hand.  
  
As quietly as she could Relena stood from the fur blanket she had been sharing with Bethany and Eli. Carefully, she tucked the two in the warm hide and Eli began to fuss.  
  
"Take him," the brave told her in a whisper and Relena took a glance at him before leaning down to pick up the toddler, who quieted once he was in her arms. Silently she followed the Indian passed the other sleeping children and Hilde, who was tucked sound asleep with her little brother. He led her out of the tent and into the false dawn of early morning. She shivered in the fall air and pulled Eli closer so he wouldn't wake.  
  
The brave stopped at a tent with the painting of a wolf on it. As if to prove a point, a familiar gray wolf lounged on what could be called the doorstep. Relena backed up a step, afraid it was going to attack, which was completely silly on her part because the huge canine only whined at the tall brave, who bent down to scratch the pointed ears.  
  
Her guide vanished into the tent and the wolf's yellow eyes turned their attention to her. She started and stepped back yet again. It seemed to study her and almost dare her to pass through the door flap.  
  
"Gu'ame ta'ne."  
  
The deep command from inside made the ears twitch and they yellow eyes lost the glare, though it still watched her. That voice . . . that was the man that had taken her almost two days ago. The Indian that met her glare head on the morning before, when she had tried to find some reason for her captivity in his masked eyes. But she had come up empty handed. Though, it wasn't as if she was a captive; she was not bound and was able to move around freely if she wished . . . not that she tried to. Once her and the other children from Jefferson had bathed and eaten, the nine of them had all fallen asleep. The physical and mental weariness from their town being set aflame and being carted off into the night had let then sleep well past the daylight hours and into the silence of night.  
  
The door flap in front of her opened and the same brave that had been on her mind looked out at her sternly. He eyed the boy in her arms before nodding inside, a signal to come in. She walked forward cautiously, watching both the brave and the wolf as she ducked into the warm tent. The sight that greeted her from there wasn't exactly as comforting as the firelight warmth. Four pairs of eyes focused on her and a fifth watched her back. Most of the braves she'd seen before, there was the green eyed one that lived with Catherine, the one that had captured her, the one that had captured Hilde and the blonde one she had seen the day before with the previous two. There was another, he had black hair that was pulled back and dark eyes that just dared her to do or say something. That wasn't the most welcoming feeling.  
  
The one behind her let the flap fall back into place and came up beside her. Relena looked up into his Prussian blue eyes and soon found herself stuck like that. His eyes, they were so expressive and showed everything he felt . . . and he knew it. That mask he had was a barrier to prevent people from getting too close so they could see his eyes in detail. Somehow, this information made him seem more human than the person that had swept her off the ground and onto a black horse.  
  
"Sit," he told her, nodding to an empty fur near the fire between the braided, smiling brave and the silent one that brought her here in the first place. She sat quietly, arranging her legs in a cross-legged position, something she would have never been able to do if she hadn't been wearing the hide tunic and pants that Catherine gave her. With her legs comfortably settled, she held Eli against her chest and in her lap instead of on her hip. The child never stirred and she was glad for a baby's natural ability to sleep through anything as long as they were being held.  
  
The men, though she thought they could only be about the same age as her, all waited for her to settle herself before speaking.  
  
"You must excuse our rudeness, but times are hard," the blonde one began civilly. "Your name is Relena Peacecraft, is it not?" he asked and she nodded slowly, wondering how they knew who she was.  
  
"A'saii, I think we have just come upon the key," he said and smiled at the others. Relena felt sorely left out of half the conversation. What key? What did her name have to do with anything? And what the heck was an "a'saii!?"  
  
The one with green eyes spoke to her next. "Do you know who we are?" he asked. She shook her head, still utterly confused.  
  
The dark one smirked, "We are the Resh'ta-ne."  
  
Her eyes widened and she stared slack-jawed at all five of them. The Resh'ta-ne were the only North American Indian tribe to have a city-like home built. They were separated into several clans and looked much like the white men with their different coloring. And that's about all anyone knew about them. Her own brother was the leader of the move against the Resh'ta- ne in the army and had many followers. The last Resh'ta-ne brave that had been captured had told the soldiers questioning him that his people are the rightful rulers of the land and that they would take it back with the will of the gods. After that the man had been slain . . . by her own brother's hands. He even told her himself that he had done it.  
  
And here, in front of her were the same Resh'ta-ne that her brother worked so hard against . . . and they knew who she was. That key they had been talking about was her. She just hoped that if they decided to kill her they'd do it quickly. The long haired brave that sat casually to her left, grinned at her, his almost violet eyes twinkling with mischief.  
  
"Don't worry," he said, "we won't kill you. You're much more valuable alive."  
  
Relena stared in horror at him. That didn't sound better, it sounded worse! The brave himself was still grinning from ear to ear and didn't seem to notice the reaction on her face.  
  
"Duo, stop scaring her," the tall one scolded giving the said brave a look. Relena had this odd feeling they were all speaking English for her benefit.  
  
"My apologies, meijhana," the one called Duo told her with a now sheepish smile on his face. She didn't know what that last word meant, but from his tone it must have been a compliment or something else like that. Three of the others rolled their eyes and the blonde smiled and shook his head.  
  
"Cheysu la'hana," mumbled the dark haired one under his breath and Duo laughed. Eli stirred slightly in her arms and she rubbed his little back soothingly to keep him asleep even though all the noise that the man next to her was making.  
  
"Let us introduce ourselves," the blonde said after a moment. He pointed to the braided Duo, "The laughing hyena is Duo of Dark Water." This introduction however only made the brave laugh again, several of the others smiled.  
  
"I believe you've met Catherine's rujho, Trowa of Red Hawk," he motioned to the green eyed brave that sat on her other side. She still didn't know what the word rujho meant but she had a feeling she'd find out sooner or later.  
  
"And also Heero of Wolf Wing," he pointed to the one that had captured her. The brave didn't even acknowledge that he was being introduced, just met her eyes with his for a brief moment.  
  
"This is Wufei of Shenlong," he motioned to the dark brave and finally pointed to himself, "and I am Quatre of Setting Sun."  
  
Relena bowed her head in understanding, not really knowing what else to do since they already knew her name and who she was. There was a whine at the door and some gentle chuckling before the familiar face of Catherine poked her head though the flap. The braves looked up at her expectantly and she nodded, ducking back out before anything was said. That thoroughly confused Relena. It was like they had just had some conversation without saying a word to each other.  
  
Quatre stood first nodding to her politely before walking out, Trowa and Wufei following. Duo stretched before he too got up. He smiled warmly down at her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Don't worry about anything, Relena. We're not as savage as your people make us out to be." And with that for her to chew on he was gone. Just from the way he said it, she felt like there was no way she couldn't believe him. He was too lighthearted and kind to be what settlers and other Americans said they were. She just couldn't see him killing mercilessly. But life with family traditions engrained in the army and politics, she knew that appearances could be deceiving.  
  
The one named Heero caught her attention when he too stood, grabbing a bow and quiver of arrows which he slung over his shoulder. He glanced at her as he walked past, pointing at the fire in the center of the room.  
  
"There's food for you and the boy in there. Stay in here. Finn will be outside."  
  
And just like Duo, he spoke and was gone. Relena wondered who Finn was absently just as Eli started to wake, probably from the now lack of voices. She decided to make the toddler her first priority and set the boy down on the fur that Trowa had vacated so she could check on what was in the small pot in the fire. She lifted the lid covering the stew-like mixture that resembled basically the same thing as what she and the other children had eaten the day before. It was still warm so she picked up the spoon sitting next to the fire and stirred it.  
  
She looked back behind her at the little boy who was rubbing his eyes sleepily and smiled. Relena waved him over and he plopped down in her lap.  
  
"Are you hungry?" she asked and he nodded. She pulled out the spoon and blew on it so it wasn't too hot. "Open," she directed and he put his hands in his lap and opened his mouth wide so she could put the long handled soup spoon inside. They continued this until Eli was sure he was full, and then Relena ate as the little boy rested in her lap.  
  
"I have to go potty," he told her just as she was finishing up. She looked down at him for a moment before smiling and getting up, putting the lid back onto the pot to keep it warm for later. She took his tiny hand and led him out of the tent where she was greeted with the glow of morning.  
  
Relena felt something nudge her from behind and she turned to see the wolf looking up at her, as if it wanted answers. She found herself still a little afraid of the large animal and she realized with a smile that this was the Finn that Heero had spoken of.  
  
"We're going to use the bathroom. Is there a certain place we need to go?" she asked, feeling more than a little silly for talking to a wolf that probably went wherever and whenever it suited him. But to her amazement, the canine seemed to know exactly what she said and started to lope away from the tent. Quickly, Relena picked up Eli and followed the powerful gray shape into the forest behind the tent.  
  
It stopped and looked at her expectantly. She stared into the yellow eyes a moment before walking a few steps into the brush where she found a latrine. Stunned, she turned to look back at the wolf, who yawned and stretched out in the grass and leaves that made up the ground cover of the forest to wait patiently. Relena shook her head and helped Eli do his business before setting him down next to Finn.  
  
"Watch him for a second, please?" she asked before disappearing back into the brush to tend to her own needs. When she returned after a few minutes, she found Eli sitting in the grass, pulling on one of Finn's ears and petting the thick fur like only a child could. But the huge creature didn't seem to mind the slightly rough ministrations and tolerated the attention like it would if the child was one of its own pups.  
  
This sight was yet another thing to add to the list of odd happenings that had occurred in the past couple of days. She shook her head and picked up Eli, giving Finn's abused ears a comforting scratch and walked back to the tent. As she was just coming up, the whole hide the tent was made out of collapsed and she stopped dead in her tracks.  
  
From the other side she saw Heero look up at her before going back to his work of packing up the tent. She watched silently as the two room tent was packed into a bundle of hide and rods about the size of a cowboy's saddle pack. Relena silently praised the ingenious way it had been made just as the brave strapped it to a dappled gray horse that stood nearby.  
  
The blonde stepped out from the trees and noticed that all of the tents that had made up the camp were either gone or being dismantled by braves. She heard the steady clumping of hooves and looked up just as Heero stopped, his black horse beside him. Eli looked at the two with his child- like curiosity and he reached forward to pet the long black nose of the stallion from Relena's arms. Heero took Eli from her, putting the boy on the ground by his feet.  
  
"Get on," he motioned to the horse and Relena nodded dumbly, stepping forward. To her surprise she was lifted onto the broad back by two strong hands on her waist and she sat like a man would because of the lack of skirts. She found it amazingly more comfortable than sitting sidesaddle like she had been for the past 16 years. The brave handed Eli up to her and she settled the toddler in front of her, just as Heero leapt up to sit behind her.  
  
Without saying a word, he directed the horse to move with a squeeze of his knees. Relena watched as braves loaded the other children onto the backs of horses of all different colors. Theresa and Jason sat behind a brave she didn't recognize, Adam behind yet another that wasn't familiar. She saw Hilde on a horse of her own, Devin and Bethany behind her, but the horse was being tied to the pack of a grey horse by the braided Duo. Trowa was lifting a disgruntled Leon onto a bay and mounted up behind the kid.  
  
As they passed by, Relena sent an encouraging smile to her best friend, who returned it hesitantly. The blonde tried to ignore the arm casually around her waist and instead tried to entertain Eli so he wouldn't continue to pull on the black mane of their horse. And that's how their first day long ride began. 


	3. Where Do We Go From Here

AN: Okay, since I'm being threatened to continue by my reviewers I've come out with the third chapter. ^_^ But seriously, I'm really glad you guys are enjoying this . . . 'cause I'm having loads of fun writing it. If only I didn't have drama production (which is almost over, thank God) and loads of homework, I'd have had more chapters out by now. I also had to get rid of a DBZ story idea I had . . . it was a one shot so now I'll hopefully have more time to work on ~Dances in the Glen~ and ~Return of Future's History~.  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE: As I said before the "Indian" tribe (the Resh'ta-ne) is a fictional civilization and has been created solely for the purpose of this story. The language is also completely made up, and credit must be given to Jennifer Roberson for some key words and to Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate for their creation, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing.  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
Dances in the Glen  
  
By SaiyanBlack  
  
* * * * * *  
  
They were still traveling later that evening, just as the sun was taking its last bow and the curtain of the sky began to descend beyond the trees. In Relena's arms the three year old boy was sleeping soundly. It took all her will not to do the same in the strong arms of the brave behind her known as Heero. The warmth he was emitting against her back wasn't helping and she found her eyes drooping shut more than once, causing her to snap to attention. Then the whole process started again.  
  
The gentle rocking of the horse as they traveled and the warmth of the two male bodies against her in the chilly dusk air was slowly taking her resolve away. Even as Heero's deep voice rumbled above her head, she slipped into a light sleep.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Heero was surprised when the girl slumped against him, breathing evenly and not even aware of what she'd just done. During the day's ride, she had tried to put as much space between them as possible and in the end just made herself uncomfortable on the bare back of the black horse. He was even more surprised to look down at her face and find her sleeping . . . or very close to it. Thinking quickly, he shifted his arm so he was not only holding her onto the horse but the child as well. The brave checked around at his party and found that most of the children were experiencing the same difficulties of staying awake as well as a couple of the other braves. Turning the black horse to come up between Quatre and Trowa, the latter of which also had a sleepy boy behind him, he spoke to them.  
  
"We should make camp soon," he said casually and both nodded in agreement. Trowa eyed the sleeping girl and child with a raised brow and smiled at the picture the three made on the horse. Heero sent him a look, but the green- eyed warrior paid it no mind, just turning back to the forest before them. Quatre chuckled lightly pulling away from the two to relay the message to Duo and Wufei.  
  
The air felt heavier than before and Heero knew there must be a form of water nearby. That also meant there would be fair game around the area, which would explain why Finn had wondered off. A whistle caught everyone's attention and the girl started in her sleep. It was a greeting call, which was odd since there weren't any of their people stationed here. They shouldn't have met up with any Resh'ta-ne until they had passed the border of the Iowa territory and into what the white men called Minnesota.  
  
Heero and Trowa stopped and the tall brave signaled the group behind them to do the same. Cautiously, Heero surveyed the forest around them. Nothing was out of place, birds and other night creatures went about their business, ignoring the band of humans and horses that stood quietly in the underbrush. The silence seemed to stretch on for ages before the night's peace was interrupted yet again by a greeting whistle. The two braves in the front of the group looked at each other and Heero nodded.  
  
Trowa put two fingers into his mouth and blew a piercing sound into the night air. Relena was startled by the whistle and jumped into consciousness. Heero put a hand over her mouth so she wouldn't start talking and she looked up at him over her shoulder with a hesitant questioning look in her light blue eyes.  
  
He looked away from her face and waited for their newcomer to make themselves known. The bushes ahead rustled and behind the two warriors there were the sounds of bows being drawn. From the trees came the familiar tall figure of Rasid. He greeted them with a smile and several of the braves let out sighs of relief, putting their weapons down. It had been too long of a day for a battle to start.  
  
Quatre, Duo and Wufei rode up beside Heero and Trowa at the front of the group. Duo was no longer leading the other horse that had been carrying the other girl and the two children and he and his horse seemed a bit happier because of it. Wufei had been stuck near the back for most of the day and his face showed his lasting boredom.  
  
"Man, Rasid!" Duo exclaimed, scratching the back of his head, "You gave us a scare there! What are you doing this far south?"  
  
"Yes," Quatre agreed, looking at the tall man that was his second, "You and the Maganac Corps were supposed to be farther upriver. Did something happen?"  
  
"There was a military force camped at the clearing that you chose, Quatre- tyee. It looked as if they were following the southern road along the river. We rounded them and came farther south to cut you off."  
  
"It looks as if the General has returned sooner than we had anticipated," Trowa said, looking thoughtfully at the other braves.  
  
"Yeah," Duo groaned, leaning forward on his gray horse. "How does he manage to do these things?"  
  
"Stop whining," Wufei scolded impatiently.  
  
Duo pouted and glared at the pony-tailed warrior. "Come on, man. It's been a long day for all of us. Lay off."  
  
"I will when you stop being such a baby."  
  
"I am not a baby! That's a baby!" the braided brave pointed to the small boy sitting on the front of Heero's horse. The girl tightened her hold on the child, unsure why they were pointing at the infant because she didn't understand what they were saying.  
  
Wufei looked at the child and smirked, "There's a lot of resemblance there."  
  
Duo glared and reached over to grab the other teen, but the white horse danced out of the way and out of reach of the gray horse's rider. The braided teen again tried to get a swipe at Wufei but he kicked his horse into a jump past the edge of the underbrush and into the deeper parts of the woods. Duo, of course, right on his tail.  
  
"There they go again," Quatre commented with a sigh. Rasid laughed softly.  
  
Heero took the strung bow from his back and notched an arrow into it. He tapped the girl on the shoulder, "Lean forward and don't move."  
  
She blinked up at him for a moment before doing what he said and leaning forward over the horse's neck, the small boy cradled in her arms so she wouldn't disturb him. That left Heero with some room for movement and he concentrated on the forest off to the right of the group. Drawing the bow, he waited for a moment before letting the arrow fly. A thunk came from the underbrush and the gray gelding trotted out riderless. Duo followed a moment after, pulling twigs and leaves from his hair. Wufei came out from the other direction.  
  
"Knock it off," Heero told the two of them, strapping his bow back into its place on his quiver. Duo glared at Wufei, then Heero before mounting back onto his horse.  
  
Rasid motioned for them to follow him, "We've set a camp. Come."  
  
Trowa turned to signal the braves behind them, all who had been waiting patiently for the order, and they continued into the trees. Just beyond the brush was a clearing with less than a dozen tents already set up. All of them had the same symbol, a rising sun over a desert foreground. The sun connected them to Quatre's clan line and to the brave himself.  
  
Heero looked around the little camp and noted that it was probably able to hold many more tents. He turned his horse to the party and whistled shrilly for everyone to set camp. The braves moved to select locations around the trees and began to pitch their tents. There was one place no one would even glance twice at . . . but not because it was a bad place. On the contrary, it was one of the prime spots. But there was a huge gray wolf lounging in the center of it, a packed tent on the ground next to him.  
  
The blue eyed brave dismounted, leading his black horse to the space. He turned to the girl, holding his hands out to help her down and she clutched onto the boy-child as she slipped off the stallion's broad back. Heero steadied her before turning to the pack next to Finn. The two regarded each other for a moment before the teen nodded toward the girl and child. The wolf stood, stretching lazily and trotted over to the duo.  
  
"Go clean up," he told Relena. She blinked, still somewhat sleepy and nodded. She walked off, Finn at her side. Heero was glad that she had decided not to ask any questions. He too was tired and didn't have the patience to deal with her inquiries. So, instead he set up the tent, unfolding the stretched and tanned hide over the reassembled poles. Once that was done, he set the furs on the ground inside and created a fire with dry wood from the forest. He made sure it wasn't going to set everything aflame before turning his attention to the black horse by the back of the tent, which chomped contently on the grass that covered most of the clearing.  
  
"Glad you're easily pleased, Zero," Heero said softly to the horse, who only tossed his head in reply. The brave ran his hands along the long muscles in the stallion's legs and back, massaging the stiffness out from the day's ride. These were the moments the braves were at the most peace. The warrior and the horse are one; they are partners, each a half of the same being. In tradition, the horse is a noble and respected creature who roams the open lands in herds. A horse becomes a partner when it accepts a brave and they will always be together unless the horse decides to leave. Then the brave is a no-man. He has no soul.  
  
Now, for Heero, Finn is another story. He had been only a child in the forests surrounding his Clan village when he'd come across a small wolf pup. The gray fur ball had just been sitting there on a fallen tree, staring into the creek at the passing silver fish. Suddenly, it hopped into the creek, splashing about, growling and biting at the water. The poor thing hadn't caught anything and had scared the fish away.  
  
The boy-Heero had looked at the string of fish in his hand and decided to sacrifice one or two for the pup. When he approached, the wolf was sitting back on the log, wet and shivering. Without all the fur to cover it, Heero saw how skinny and malnourished the thing was. He'd put the two fish on the log near the pup and it sniffed it, looked at the boy, sniffed it again, then started to gorge. From that day on, Heero had what his father called a "shadow." The little pup grew huge in a matter of two season-turns and followed the boy-turned-teen everywhere like a shadow. In their language, 'fin' meant 'shadow' or 'trailer.' His father had added the extra letter to distinguish the wolf's name from the word.  
  
The elders had allowed him to have the animal, only because it wasn't like a hound or dog, the white man's canine, which were forbidden in the Village. Finn learned how to fend for himself after a little help from Heero and was almost self-sufficient. They also found it intriguing that the son of the Wolf Clan leader had adopted a young wolf as his shadow even before he'd partnered with a horse.  
  
When he had lived 12 season-turns, he and other young braves had gone out on solitary journeys to the green plains. But Heero hadn't gone alone, Finn had followed him. Instead of the wolf trailing after him where he could be seen, he followed in the shadows he was named for. Truthfully, Heero hadn't even known that the gray wolf had been with him until the day he and Zero were partnered. Amazingly enough, it surprised even the elders that the black stallion had no quarrel with Finn and visa versa. In fact the two seemed to get along quite well and in the past 5 season-turns they seemed to only get friendlier, like their trust in each other was building.  
  
A warning, urgent whistle was heard across the clearing and everyone immediately stopped what they were doing to look in the direction that it came from. The river. A second warning was blown and Heero dashed to the front of his tent to stamp out the fire with sand and dirt. It smoldered before going completely out and the brave spun and raced to the tree line. Ahead of him were Trowa and Wufei and he disappeared into the brush after them. Pushing away the boughs and branches, he made it to the river side only to see a sight that didn't comfort him.  
  
In blue and white uniforms, on over a dozen long boats with rifles in hand, stood or sat the exact part of the white man army that they were trying to avoid before they got to the Village.  
  
At the front of the first boat stood a man that was well known among the Resh'ta-ne. Long, white-blonde hair glinted in the light from the torches of the soldiers and the straightness of his features was amplified by the overhanging crescent moon. Movement off to the side caught his eye and to his horror he saw the rujholla of the very man on the water in front of them. She stood, her mouth open a bowl in her hands, staring at the river and the men that moved along it. Panicking, Heero shot off into the trees, his mind centered on catching the girl before she could alert her brother to the party gathered on shore. He dived at her, tackling her petite body to the ground under his. They landed in the underbrush with an 'oomph' and rustling of foliage. She was too stunned to move at first, but in seconds she was struggling against the weight of his body and the hand clamped over her mouth.  
  
"Stay still!" Heero growled next to her ear. Relena immediately stopped moving and he watched the torches move away along the glittering path of the river though the gaps in the bush that hid them.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Hilde sat with the children and Eli, who Relena had given to her so she could do some washing at the river without having to watch the three-year- old. The short haired teen hadn't noticed the gray shadow that was following her blonde friend into the forest and continued tending to the children as if nothing was the matter. In her head though, she was crying. She never realized how much she would miss home if she ever left. And here she was, captured by a band of Indians and being taken father and farther away from the small farm she'd come to know as home.  
  
Yeah, she complained about chores and her siblings a lot and she hated the stupid hand-me-downs that were passed down from her older sisters. And she hated sharing the right loft with four other girls and a bed with her littlest sister. Her brothers were all pains and had way too many privileges compared to the girls and her father never really talked to her and her mother only yelled and gave out chores . . . but now that she was away from all that, she missed them like a man in the desert misses water. She guessed that she would feel better if she knew they were all okay. In some ways she didn't know if she was glad or not that Devin was taken too. She was with him, but she was afraid of what was going to happen to them.  
  
So far they had continued to move on through the forest, only stopping when it was well into the night. The Indians, mainly Catherine and her rujho or brother, Trowa, had given them food, clothing and shelter and it was hard to see if they were actually captives or not. Since their town was a few days from a fort, the fort where Relena's older brother was stationed, Hilde had seen what the army did with prisoners, like Indians. They were tied up, gagged and tied to the back of a horse where they were basically dragged along.  
  
But these people didn't do that. All the captives were under the age of twelve besides Hilde and Relena, and she'd never been tied up or had seen anyone else that way. They were carried on horses, some of them with the braves. Every day she'd seen Relena and Eli sitting in front of the brave that had captured her as if they were good friends and noticed that night a couple of days ago when she'd dosed off in his arms. That was also the night that the brave, whose name Relena said was Heero, had shoved her best friend out of the forest and into the dimly lit clearing, the few remaining fires that still were burning from the whistles that caused everyone to panic. He seemed angry with the blonde and pushed her roughly into the tent with the wolf marking on it. Earlier that night, Relena had given Hilde Eli as she went to the river for some water.  
  
What worried her was when she had come to Catherine and Trowa's tent the next morning and apologized to all three of them for making them keep Eli for the night. When Hilde was about to speak to her about Heero, she noticed he was standing directly outside, waiting with his arms folded across his chest. Relena glanced back at the brave and turned to give Hilde a reassuring smile before walking back to the man. The short haired girl watched from the tent door flap as Heero took Eli from Relena and helped her up onto the huge black horse before passing the child up to her and mounting behind her.  
  
This evening, they had stopped sooner than usual, setting up their tented camp just as the sun was dropping over the tops of the trees. Now, just minutes since dark had fallen completely, Hilde sat in front of a fire with Eli in her lap and the other children around her. They were all healthy and their crying at night had almost stopped completely. Every once in a while Bethany or Theresa would cry and one of the boys would comfort them, Jason seemed to have a special knack for it and Adam could be caring when he wanted to be. Leon was another story. In many ways he was beginning to remind her of that Heero guy. He was cold most of the time and would hardly speak unless it was to protest against something. Hilde was trying to not let his attitude affect her or the other children's' moods.  
  
Suddenly, Hilde was brought out of her thoughts when another figure stepped into the light and plopped down onto the ground with a sigh. Her dark eyes looked over at Relena, who smiled warmly in return.  
  
"Relena?" she asked cautiously over the fire, almost afraid of what she was asking. The other girl looked over at her with a concerned expression.  
  
"What's wrong, Hilde?"  
  
The short haired girl looked down at her lap and seemed to be really interested with the leaf that Eli was playing with. When she answer it was very quiet, but the lack of noise in the Indian camp made it easy to hear from where Relena sat.  
  
"What are we going to do?"  
  
The blonde's blue eyes softened at the lost sound of her best friend's voice. "We can't really do anything, Hilde. Right now I'm the most important thing they have."  
  
Hilde looked up, confused. "What are you talking about? How are you 'the most important thing they have?'" she asked.  
  
Relena laughed quietly to herself, "These people are the Resh'ta-ne, Hilde. My brother is their worst enemy. Right now, I'm a priceless captive. They could use me against Milliardo when it comes time for that war my brother is always talking about."  
  
The other girl could only stare. Everything was slightly coming into place, but the questions that were answered only brought up new ones. "Is that why you've been with that brave all the time and not with the rest of us? And what happened that night when they whistled and everything went silent? Did that have anything to do with you? And why was that guy so mad at you? Is hurting you? He better not be or I'll sock his lights out!"  
  
This time Relena actually let out a bark of laughter and shook her head as the giggles rocked her small frame. Her friend could really go too far sometimes . . . but, oh! It was good to laugh again! These last few days she'd really missed talking to Hilde. The said girl was staring at Relena again, but this time wondering if her friend had actually snapped or not. She blinked several times before the laughter started to get contagious and she too started to giggle helplessly. The children didn't know what they were laughing about, but the girls, Jason and Devin started to laugh along with them. Soon all the captives around the small fire except Leon and Eli, who was too young to really get it, were laughing.  
  
Still chuckling, Relena turned to answering her friend's many questions, but was stopped when Catherine came out of her tent and walked over to them. The older woman smiled warmly.  
  
"Good evening, Relena. Hilde," she then turned to the other girl. "It's about time to put the children to sleep. Trowa has finished setting up the tent and I have dinner prepared."  
  
"Yeah, I'm hungry," Adam said, rubbing his stomach. The other children voiced their agreement and Catherine smiled. Hilde started to get up but the Indian stopped her.  
  
"No, stay and finish your conversation with Relena. You two haven't talked in a while. I'll take the children." With no persuasion needed, Hilde nodded and let the woman lead the six children to the tent she shared with her brother, leaving them with Eli, since Relena would be taking the boy later.  
  
"So?" she asked impatiently. It took Relena a moment to figure out what she was talking about.  
  
"Okay, um . . ." she tried to remember the questions that had made her laugh in the first place, "yes, the reason I haven't been with you guys is because I've valuable and they want me guarded so I don't escape and so other braves don't try to kill me for who I am. The other night, the whistling was because my brother was going by on the river with his regiment, and it really didn't have anything to do with me, but I was just standing out in the open at the river and Heero thought I was going to warn my brother so that's why he was mad at me, and no he isn't hurting me. On the contrary, he's actually taking really good care of me . . . though he doesn't talk much. He just gives me orders and I do them."  
  
Hilde blinked, trying to process all that information. That actually made a lot of sense. They were protecting her from their own people, who would no doubt have some grudge against her brother, and so she wouldn't try anything. Not that she would, Relena had too much honor to escape and leave the rest of them behind, she was too kind hearted. And had she just said that they had been mere feet away from her brother and Hilde hadn't even known? Talk about late news!  
  
"Are you being watched right now?" she just had to ask. If she was their whole conversation had just been heard.  
  
Relena raised a slender eyebrow and took a moment to look around. After a moment she turned back to Hilde. "Yes, I am. See that shadow over by that tent to the far left? The one with the gold, glowing eyes?"  
  
The short haired girl looked over at the spot her friend pointed to and indeed there was a set of golden eyes that caught the light of the fire lying in the shadows. Her own eyes widened in fear.  
  
"W-what is it?" she asked suddenly afraid for her friend's safety again. But not from the brave, instead from this yellow eyed creature.  
  
Relena smirked slightly and gave the set of eyes a look before turning her back on them again. "That is Heero's pet wolf, Finn."  
  
Hilde gaped at her, eyes wide and mouth open. "PET WOLF?" she asked incredulously.  
  
The blonde just smiled weakly. "Yes. He follows me everywhere when I'm not around Heero and even sometimes when I am. He's actually quite friendly."  
  
Hilde reached across the low fire to place her hand on Relena's forehead. It felt okay; she wasn't running a fever or anything. Pulling her hand back, she decided that she had to be dreaming! Relena had just said that her captor's pet is a wolf and that it was friendly. We're not exactly talking about a farm dog here! Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you see it, Hilde didn't get a chance to inquire if her friend was still sane because a figure approached their small fire.  
  
Out of the shadows came the imposing form of the Indian Heero and he looked down on them for a shot moment before speaking.  
  
"Time to come inside," he told Relena, shooting Hilde a glance. The blonde looked up at him over her shoulder and nodded. She stood and walked over to Hilde, giving the other girl a hug as she took Eli.  
  
"I'll talk to you later, Hilde," she said with a smile and turned to walk past the brave, who finally took his eyes off the short haired girl and followed his charge out of the ring of light the fire cast.  
  
Hilde glared at his retreating back until she couldn't see it anymore, and even after that. She couldn't believe that guy. He just ordered Relena around like she was some prisoner . . . wait. She was. And so was Hilde. The girl sighed and stood, brushing off her backside and walking over to Catherine and Trowa's tent. She had to admit, she was really starting to like the pant and shirt leathers that she had been given. They were actually quite comfortable.  
  
Maybe . . . things wouldn't be so bad after all. 


	4. Painting the White to Grey

AN: Oh, I love you all. Thank you for your condolences and I'd really like to thank those that threatened anyone that wouldn't give me time to grieve. It was really appreciated. My cousin is resting in peace now and I had some fun seeing family members I hadn't seen for a long while. My other cousin is currently getting back on her feet and her boyfriend in taking good care of her . . . no, seriously. He's a nice guy.  
  
For those of you who don't know, his funeral was on my birthday . . . but I was okay with that. The weekend after my friends all grouped together to throw me a small party even though I didn't want one. Jason, my only friend that can cook food that's edible made me a cake, Elise and Maura bought movie tickets for everyone and the seven of us had a bash and saw X2. Lots of fun!  
  
And then . . . FINALS!! Oh Joy. Took awhile and now I'm done with school crap so more stuff will be rolling out. Anyway . . . I'll stop typing and let you read. ^_^'  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
Dances in the Glen  
  
By SaiyanBlack  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Milliardo Peacecraft sat on his horse at the front of his squadron. He stared out at the small valley that his family home rested in, but it was no longer there. The whole valley was burnt black to the ground, parts still smoldering. Rage filled him but he tamped it down harshly, determined to have a clear mind as he approached the town. He didn't do it for his men; they had seen the extent of his anger and usually went out of their way to prevent him from exploding.  
  
"General Zechs! Wha- what happened?" one of his soldiers asked from the ground behind him. The man had used the nickname that he had been given by the Resh'ta-ne. The name, Zechs Marquis, was roughly translated to 'Lord Destruction' and it seemed to have stuck, not only within the Indians but with the American army.  
  
Taking control of the situation, Milliardo turned his horse to his regiment. "Sergeants! Take your groups around the valley's perimeter! Look for any sign of attack and tell any inhabitants to meet in the center square. Anderson! Your group with me into the town!"  
  
The army behind him split into four groups, two traveling down the road to the east end of the valley, one to the west side and the last waiting in place for his orders. They started into town looking into burnt houses and barns, searching for any sign of life . . . or death. All the while Milliardo was trying to see a pattern in the fires, something that would tell him who did all this destruction. But there was nothing. Whoever did this was very thorough at disguising an attack of this magnitude. The fires had somehow consumed all of the houses to a degree, some more than others, but they had completely ransacked all the fields and barns before burning them.  
  
His men had told him that there were no signs of animal bodies or preserved food in the storage houses and by the looks of the tracks left from that night, the animals, including horses, had all taken off toward the forest. The apple orchard in town had no sign of fruit being on the tree and the same went for the small gardens that most of the villagers had by their houses.  
  
Nothing was left.  
  
It was as if they were raiders and not an attacking Indian tribe like he first thought. The only Indians near enough to be the cause of this had their own food stores and gardens. They didn't need to wipe out a whole white man town to get their meals. He should know, being the mortal enemy of the Resh'ta-ne meant he knew some stuff about their culture. And from what he knew, they had never ransacked a whole town before. They weren't that barbaric.  
  
"General Zechs! Milliardo!"  
  
The blonde man turned his head up to look out before him and was surprised to see his parents as well as most of the villagers in a makeshift camp where the center of town had once been. All the buildings in this area were burnt to the ground, including the county store and the bank. The people were dirty, disheveled, and heartbroken. It was a terrible sight.  
  
He dismounted and handed the reins of his white horse over to one of his soldiers. His mother was the first to reach him and she threw herself against him as she sobbed.  
  
"Oh, Milliardo! It's so awful! Relena, my baby girl! She's gone!"  
  
"What?" he asked, his blue eyes wide with horror.  
  
"She was in the house all alone when the town went on fire three days ago! Everything was burnt to the ground! We couldn't find her!" her voice was devastated and he tried to comfort her, although he did it awkwardly. After a moment, one of the other women came and pulled her away so he could talk to the few men that seemed to be there, namely his father.  
  
He turned to the older blonde man, sorrow and rage clear in his eyes, "Is what she says true? Is Relena dead?"  
  
His father only nodded solemnly. "Everything just went up in flames around sunset. No one saw anything set it off or anyone strange come into town. We don't know what happened. Our food preserves are dwindling, son. We're going to have to leave."  
  
Milliardo thought about this information a moment, his mind still filled with the information of his little sister's death. He cast a glance at the horizon where you would usually be able to see the top story of their family house from the center of town. But nothing was there, just ashes and charred wood. It hurt to think that Relena's remains were somewhere mixed with the ashes of the house. As much as he would love to think that his sister was fine, his overly logical military brain told him that his sister would have appeared by now.  
  
He turned to look at all the men that stood before them and he recognized each of them being the heads of their houses. Not even half of the families were accounted for in the small group of maybe thirteen men. He signaled his second and the shorter lieutenant came to stand beside him.  
  
"Tell me everything that happened; how many casualties and how much supplies you have left," he ordered and the men began to tell him exactly that.  
  
When the whole ordeal was done and he made sure his second had wrote down everything correctly. In all there were nineteen deaths, and not all of them by fire. Apparently, the remaining men had gone on a search around the valley's perimeter the day after the attack. They had found the bodies of ten men and teen boys in the woods in the forest on the east side. His men had come in later to confirm that they'd spotted the burial stones in the area, were the villagers had buried them. The other nine almost seemed to be missing instead of dead. The bodies of his sister, her best friend and her little brother, as well as three boys and two girls between the ages of six and twelve and a baby boy no older than three were never found and the houses they had lived in were completely burnt down.  
  
He had the remaining village men describe the state of the ten deaths in the forest and he got a fairly gruesome and detailed explanation. They had been killed with sharp objects, most likely daggers and arrow heads being used like daggers. Every victim was slit across the throat, slicing both arteries in the neck and the jugular vein. The men said they were extremely decent cuts and that the ten had died almost instantly.  
  
This brought Milliardo's suspicions back to the Resh'ta-ne. One of their signature killing moves was a throat slice that sounded almost identical to the one that these men were describing to him. There had been no other wounds and that meant that these Indians that attacked had well trained braves and ancient techniques that had been refined and honed down to an ability that was almost inherited.  
  
Although, it still didn't make any sense for the Resh'ta-ne to raid before they burnt everything to the ground. It just wasn't like them. He had a hunch that maybe it was a band of slackers that had been roaming around the area and had run low on supplies. But that didn't make sense either. There was rarely a Resh'ta-ne group around these parts ever since the forts had gone up almost ten years ago. The settlers had started coming in and even though they had put up a fight, the small villages that had been around this valley had moved back up north towards their City. The exact location of which was still completely unknown to the Americans. It was so well hidden that only if you were a Resh'ta-ne did you know where it was.  
  
It was said that no outsider had ever ventured in and returned to tell were it was. Some people said that the forest got to them long before they reached the City. Others said that they had made it and were killed on the spot before they even got within twenty feet of the gates . . . even if they had been dressed and acted like an Indian.  
  
Of course when Americans thought about their City they always imagined it to be some medieval fortress set in a mountain in the deepest part of the forest. In reality, no one had a clue what it looked like. All the time that he'd spent looking at the paintings of the Resh'ta-ne that he had captured he had never seen anything reference to a huge city of Indians. That in itself was confusing.  
  
Why would there be this legendary City but nothing in their possession that represented it? Most cultures even had that much. May it be a deity or a religious site every culture had some sort of picture or writing that represented that. But the only things that Resh'ta-ne paintings showed were animals and other things in nature; wolves, hawks, suns, mountains, water, fire, plants. Anything that appeared in nature was depicted on their tepees, not unlike most Indian tribes.  
  
The white-haired general pondered all this while sitting at his desk in his tent late that night. The military tents had been set up around the village tents to protect them in case another attack happened. But Milliardo knew it was very unlikely that they would be attacked again. Especially if the culprits were indeed the Resh'ta-ne.  
  
He rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to relieve the headache that had begun to plague him. Tomorrow he and his regiment were escorting the remaining villagers to Fort Dodge where they would be treated as refugees. It was better than camping out in the remains of the destroyed valley and that way he could speak with the other officers about the whole incident.  
  
Deciding it was time to turn in, Milliardo reached to the other side of his collapsible desk and turned down the oil lamp that sat there. The light went down to a very small glow and the general sighed. That was much better on his strained eyes.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Peals of childish giggles drew Heero's attention to the side from his position by the fire in front of his hut. He could see Finn's tail twitching by the corner, but the rest of his lean body was hidden behind the leather housing. Again he heard the sound of the little boy's laughter and the soft chuckling of the girl. There was a horse's whinny and he recognized it as Zero.  
  
In his hands were his unstrung bow and he polished it to make sure the length he'd strung hadn't ruined the balance or the fine wood. They'd all been a little on edge while riding through these last valleys of the white man's Iowa territory and even more so since they'd had that close call with General Peacecraft's army. It had put everyone on alert and ready in case they had another moment when they wouldn't be so lucky.  
  
It was amazing they hadn't been caught, but the white soldiers weren't as aware of their surroundings like native tribes were. Their whole cover would have been blown if the girl had called out when she had the chance, and it still stunned Heero to think that she had just stood there instead of called out. Any other captive wouldn't have done that.  
  
Duo, the pervert that he was, had mentioned something about dominance after he had tackled the girl, but he hadn't been paying attention. After everything was clear, he had yanked up the blonde girl and pushed her in the direction of the hidden camp. His 'nerves of steel,' as Quatre had called his patience and attitude once, were quite shaken. But he wouldn't show that. It had been too close. Way too close.  
  
Speak of the devil, the girl came around the corner of the tent right at that moment, drawing his attention to her even if he didn't look at her and kept his eyes on his work. She had Eli on her hip and Finn followed her around the tent to keep an eye on all three of the humans. She sat across from him in front of the small camp fire, the child in her lap, and checked the pot over the fire, stirring it with the wooded spoon.  
  
Heero watched her through his long bangs, his hands still working the pliant wood in his lap. He had to admit that her cooking was . . . interesting. She was experimenting making white man food with the dried and native food that the braves carry around with them when they're away from the village. This night she was creating some type of watery soup with the dried buffalo and various preserved greens. It smelled good to his hungry stomach. It also seemed to attract the attention of the bottomless pit.  
  
"Hey Buddy!"  
  
Duo casually walked up to the fire, his cheery face lit up by the warm glow. He had that mischievous look in his violet eyes that usually told everyone around him that he was about to scam something off you. The girl, of course, didn't know Duo so she didn't know that. Though, she seemed to be the observant one.  
  
The braided warrior sat in front of the fire, basically inviting himself into their meal. Not that Heero minded any. The girl caught his eyes over the fire, silently asking if she should feed the perky brave as well. He nodded. No reason why not. Duo caught his attention before he could go back to working on his bow.  
  
"So, Heero. What have you been up to lately?" he asked as the girl passed him a wooden bowel of the strange soup. He smiled charmingly at her and thanked her in English. Heero took the bowel that was offered to him over the fire and put his bow aside, though not too far out of reach. He took an appreciative sip of the watery liquid.  
  
"Cut to the chase, Duo. It's not like you to bum a free dinner."  
  
The violet eyed brave pouted, "Aw, come on pal. A little small talk never hurt anyone."  
  
"I don't do small talk."  
  
Duo sighed and took another spoonful of meat and vegetables. "Trowa's taken off to the Village like you suggested with the map skin for Treize. Wufei went to the east to collect the remaining raiding party and Quatre is getting worried about our situation. When our faithful leader gets worried, I get worried."  
  
"Is that all?" Heero asked in his monotone voice. Duo looked up at him abruptly, stunned.  
  
"You know, I'm really starting to believe the others when they say you're emotionless. You don't feel that dark cloud hanging over our heads? Just waiting to pour down on us?"  
  
Heero met Duo's gaze straight on and the braided teen saw the truth in his deep blue eyes. Although he showed a great amount of indifference to the world, his best friend could clearly see beyond those barriers and into the vast emotions that the stoic brave hid inside. He did feel that ominous presence and knew that something bad was going to happen. But like the rest of them, they had no clue what it had to do with.  
  
The meal, after that, continued on in silence. Relena fed herself and Eli and the two males served themselves for seconds; that's thirds and fourths for Duo. The sun had long set and the only light in the camp was the spots of fires outside every hut. The night was quiet, only the sounds of the camp and the forest broke through the air and filled it with a comforting feeling. The three sat around the fire in companionship, although Relena didn't have a clue what their conversation had been about. She could only tell from their expressions and tones that it was an unpleasant subject.  
  
So comfortable in their silence, they were startled by the quick approach of a very young brave. He only looked to be in his thirteenth year.  
  
"Heero, Duo! Quatre wishes to see you. He told me it was urgent!"  
  
The two said braves launched from their positions on the ground and onto their feet. Relena jumped, but stayed in her seat, confused about what was going on. She was really starting to wish she could understand their language. Uncertainly, she looked between the three braves, waiting for a sign of recognition.  
  
They discussed something and they started away. She panicked, unsure about what to do. The blonde held out a hand, hoping to stop them.  
  
"Wait!" Heero stopped and turned to fix his gaze onto her reaching form. His Prussian blue eyes locked onto her equally blue eyes, holding her with a look.  
  
"Take the boy to Catherine's hut and meet us at the hut with the sun painted on it," he commanded in his emotionless voice, filled with authority and seriousness. "Do you understand?"  
  
She nodded dumbly but didn't move from her position, transfixed as she was on his presence. He noticed this.  
  
"Go now!"  
  
That command gave her the power to move and she gathered up the three-year- old and practically ran to the hawk decorated tent. Meanwhile, Heero watched her race away from him, his thoughts stuck in limbo as her form ducked into Trowa's family hut.  
  
"Heero!"  
  
Duo's call snapped him out of wherever he had been and he spun and took off after the other brave, thoughts once again in order and pondering this new development.  
  
Why did life always seem to be so difficult? 


	5. Middle of Nowhere

SORRY! Sorrysorrysorrysorry! I'm working! Gimme a break . . . need the cash flow, ya know! Hey! I'm a poet and I didn't know it!  
  
^_^' Sorry, I couldn't help myself.  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you own Chronicles of the Cheysuli by Jennifer Roberson and see an "Indian" word in this story, don't look into the glossary at the back of the books. I have changed around the meanings to fit this story but I still give Ms. Roberson the credit for the word, even if it doesn't exactly mean the same thing. If you're so lost that all the "foreign" words are confusing you, ask and I'll send you an incomplete glossary of the meanings as they pertain to this story. When I'm done with the story all together, I'll put the complete and final glossary up as the last chapter.  
  
Anyway, two chapters out! Be happy!  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
Dances in the Glen  
  
By: SaiyanBlack  
  
* * * * * *  
  
The green eyed brave put his fingers to his lips and let out a piercing sound that split through the natural noises of the forest and echoed off the trees and stone. The bay mare approached what seemed to be a solid wall of moss and vine covered rock. He looked up into the branches as he reined in Heavy and the mare danced a bit after the long, hard ride from the past two days.  
  
There was an answering whistle that signaled several hidden faces to appear from behind screening bushes and vines. Hidden doors and peepholes in the huge rock wall and within thick redwood trunks revealed twelve armed and ready warriors.  
  
"Name yourself," one from the rock commanded, keeping his bow aimed straight for the brave's bare chest.  
  
"Trowa Red Hawk. I need to see my brother."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Here's the problem," Quatre announced, pointing to something he'd drawn in a sand filled wooden box. Relena sat within the blonde brave's painted tent with Heero, Duo and another brave she didn't know. The young boy that had brought them here was gone and Relena's arms felt unusually empty without little Eli to look after for the first time in the several days since she'd been captured by the Resh'ta-ne. For the second time in the company of this particular blonde Indian, she had the feeling that they were speaking English for her benefit.  
  
"A layout of the attack areas?" Duo asked. The girl looked at the sand and indeed the markings looked like a type of map, similar to the ones she'd seen at the fort when she was younger. It seemed the markings for mountains and forests and towns were interracial for soldiers. The ink drawn ones on the paper maps of her brother looked almost identical as the ones that were grooved into the fine river sand by the whittled stick that the brave Quatre held.  
  
"Yes. The remaining people of Relena's village have been moved to the fort the other day. Wufei sent me a messenger with the locations of the three groups of white man soldiers. We can only guess what Zechs Marquis is up to now. One of the braves heard a rumor while hunting near the fort village about the death of the general's sister's death by fire. This could mean something."  
  
"They think she died in the house," Heero observed emotionlessly. "It may prove to our advantage that they are unaware that we have her with us. They'd be less likely to come after us for her."  
  
Duo smirked, "That would also mean we have the upper hand and could surprise them with something they wouldn't expect."  
  
Relena didn't like how they spoke of her as if she wasn't standing right next to them. They may have been speaking English so she could understand, but they sure didn't seem to need her to.  
  
"What about the others? Are they suspected dead?" Heero asked.  
  
Quatre shrugged, "We don't know for sure, but we assume they are. We don't know the extent of the damage we caused at the village so it would be best if we don't assume anything just yet."  
  
"I think we should get a small team down there to take a looksie," Duo commented with his chin resting on his hand in a bored way. He was studying the drawn map with a resigned fascination.  
  
The girl stared at the braided teen with wide eyed shock. It was amazing enough that more than a few of the Resh'ta-ne could even speak English and here was one of them using a slang word than Relena herself had only heard a couple times. At this point she wouldn't be surprised if they could also write perfect Latin.  
  
"I was thinking that myself, Duo," Quatre said, a hit of amusement in his gentle voice. "If we could confirm their thoughts on the situation, it would make our lives a lot easier. Before we start anything though, we'll have to wait for Trowa to return or until we reach the Village in a couple more days. We need to know what Treize is planning so we don't mess things up."  
  
Relena noticed that Quatre, Heero and the other brave pinned the lounging Duo with looks. The braided warrior blinked a couple of times before noticing that all eyes were on him.  
  
"Why is it that when anyone mentions screwing up, everyone looks at me?" he pouted, glaring at the other braves. He spared Relena the look, even though she too was staring at him.  
  
Quatre chuckled, bringing the sense of tension out of the room, "Relax Duo."  
  
"Soji-mave usca hala," he grumbled and Heero snorted. She couldn't tell if it was a laugh or an agreement to whatever was said.  
  
"Mava'e golu a'saii," the unknown brave asked Quatre. The blonde looked up at him and smiled reassuringly. He replied in their native language, so Relena didn't have a clue about what it was about. They conversed for a few more moments while Heero and Duo looked over the sand map. Well, Heero looked. Duo seemed to find the beads at the end of his long braid very interesting and he picked at one of them with a fingernail.  
  
Relena waited patiently for the conversation to turn to something she could understand and observed her companions silently. Duo was sitting on one of the furs near the low table, seemingly distracted by a stubborn knot in his mahogany colored hair. His violet eyes glared at the offending portion and his still slightly boyish face scowled as his fingers picked at it. It was actually pretty comical.  
  
Heero knelt next to the table, his eyes shadowed by his long, unruly bangs so it was hard to see exactly where his blue eyes were focused. It looked like he was observing the sand map but from experience she knew he could be looking anywhere. Sometimes she would feel him watching her when she was doing something and when she looked over at him, he was doing something, like brushing Zero or taking care of his weapons with his head bowed. But she could still feel his Prussian blue eyes.  
  
He was certainly a very interesting person.  
  
The other braves she knew by name were all interesting in their own ways. Quatre was a nice guy. He seemed to get straight to the point and had morals from what she'd seen. As far as she could see he was the "leader" of the group.  
  
Relena finally figured out what 'rujho' meant. It was 'brother.' Which meant that Trowa - the tall, green eyed brave with the red horse - was Catherine's brother. That would explain why they lived together and looked alike. He was nice, when he talked. Sometimes she thought he was even more stoic and silent than Heero.  
  
Then there was Wufei. She didn't know him very well. He was never around very much and in the past few days seemed to have vanished completely. She wondered if he was off doing something, not that anyone would tell her if he was. She was, after all, their captive. Though, from the few times she had been around him, he seemed a bit on the arrogant side . . . like everything was below him.  
  
Other than those guys, she didn't know any braves. Unless you counted Catherine. What was the word for a female of the Resh'ta-ne? She didn't know. Actually, she only knew about two words, both of which she picked up their meaning when they used them in an English sentence. 'Rujho' and 'wei,' which meant 'yes.' Other than that, she couldn't tell a "hello" from a "goodbye."  
  
"Tetsu," Quatre said to the unknown man and he nodded before letting himself out. The blonde brave turned to them and spoke to Heero. "I'd like you to do me a favor, Heero," the other nodded, "I want you to teach Relena our language. She should know it before we get to the Village. And in return," he added turning his gaze to her and looking her in the eye, "I want you to teach Heero how to read English. He may know how to speak every native and foreign language in this region, but he had yet to learn how to read one. We'll need that talent in the future."  
  
Relena blinked at the brave for a moment before looking at Heero. How many languages was every one in the region? That must be a lot with all the native tribes around the area. His deep blue eyes looked straight into hers and she realized that they were waiting for her answer.  
  
"O . . . kay," she stuttered. Unsure exactly what they were asking for. Why would they need to be able to read English? Maybe it had something to do with the thing with her brother. Quatre smiled at her, silently thanking her. This was all very confusing. Everything seemed a bit more complicated than she originally thought.  
  
So now she was teaching the Indian the stole her from her home and family to read English.  
  
This should prove to be interesting.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Nokomi! You're back!"  
  
Trowa turned from brushing Heavy's red coat to smile at the little girl as she ran into the wooden horse hut. She had that red hair that ran in his family line, more prominent in her and her jehan than in he or Catherine. She latched onto his hide pants and looked up at him with her pale blue eyes, smiling in that adorable way only children could.  
  
"Hello, Mariemaia."  
  
She grinned and looked around her at the few horses that were stabled in the open hut, seemingly searching for someone or something. After a moment, when she didn't find whatever it was she was looking for, she turned up to look at him, the smile gone.  
  
"Where's nokomis? She didn't come with you?" her blue eyes sad as she questioned him.  
  
Trowa patted Heavy's side and the horse took his leave to munch on some much deserved grain and grass that had been put in here for that exact reason. The tall brave squatted down in front of the little redhead to look at her evenly with his green eyes.  
  
"Sansu. Catherine had to stay with the others. We picked up several children and they need her to take care of them. It would be unfair for her to come to see you when there are others that need her now," he was kind while he told her, his voice soothing but firm.  
  
She nodded solemnly, still sad that the woman didn't come with him. "I understand, nokomi," she said, folding her hands behind her back. Trowa smiled at her and she immediately smiled back. Taking his hand she pulled him out of the stable and around the wooden building and into the large rock dome that was the main area of the Village. He allowed her to lead him through the arch were a red hawk was carved into the rock above the opening.  
  
"Jehana! Jehana! Look!" She started to call, dropping his hand and ducking under one of the many leather door flaps that led from the hall. He followed her more slowly and pushed aside the tanned leather to step into the room after her.  
  
The woman on the low bed mat looked up from the redhead when he entered. Her kind face smiled warmly at him and he returned it automatically. Mariemaia knelt next to her jehana babbling excitedly about how he was back. The blonde woman turned to her daughter and placed a pale finger on the child's running mouth. "Mariemaia, hush."  
  
The girl's mouth immediately closed with an auditable snap. The woman smiled and turned to look up at the figure in her doorway.  
  
"I hear you have returned, Trowa," she teased with a grin on her face.  
  
He raised an eye brow and approached the bed mat. "How are you doing, Leia?"  
  
"I'm getting better. I should be back on my feet in no time. Sally's remedies are the best of the clan shaman." Trowa nodded in agreement. Sally of the Shenlong Clan was the best healer of the Resh'ta-ne. She had remedies for everything you could imagine. "Mariemaia," Leia started, looking to her daughter, "go tell your jehan that his rujho is here."  
  
"Wei!" she said and jumped to her feet and vanished out of the room, the door flap swinging in the doorway behind her.  
  
"How was the mission?" Leia asked and Trowa focused on her once more.  
  
"That is what I've come to speak to Treize for. Heero and the others are on their way here and after discussing some unexpected occurrences with rujho, I will return. Once everyone is back and we have talked with the Elders and Leaders, I'm sure you will know everything about it."  
  
She smiled, "Ah, discretion as usual. You and the other a'saii are always so quiet about what you are sent to do. I guess it comes with who all of you are."  
  
"Nokomi!" Mariemaia called as she poked her head into the room, "Jehan says to speak to him in the Clan council chambers and to remind jehana that she'd supposed to take her medicine."  
  
Leia chuckled at her daughter's message and Trowa smiled one of his small amused smiles. He patted the blonde woman's pale hand and stood to take his leave. As he passed through the doorway, he affectionately ruffled the small girl's bright red hair and stepped into the stone hallway.  
  
When he entered the council chamber his rujho was looking out one of the vine covered portholes that looked out onto the forest around the Village. He turned when he heard Trowa enter, his dark eyes focusing on his little rujho.  
  
"Welcome home," Treize said, his face schooled but smiling. "I assume you'll be leaving as soon as possible to return to the raiding party."  
  
Trowa nodded, silently taking a seat in one of the bench-like niches in the stone wall. The older brother turned back to the window, looking out into the small clearing around the rock that incased the whole Village.  
  
"We picked up something unexpected when we raided the town, Jefferson," Trowa said.  
  
"Unexpected? Tell me."  
  
"Heero picked up Zechs' little sister when he set fire to the family's home. She seems to be around 16 season-turns. We also took eight others from her age down to about three."  
  
"Did anyone see you?"  
  
"Not during the fires. Unfortunately, they had to kill ten of the village men because they spotted them during the planning of the raid. But they weren't noticed after the first fire was started. Quatre was right about how the whole town helped out. Most of the homes that were set aflame were completely empty."  
  
"Who was set in charge of that mission?"  
  
"Heero and Duo."  
  
Treize turned to look at Trowa with a thoughtful expression. "It seems then, that my orders about not killing anyone in the fires turned out giving us an advantage. It does not seem like Heero would have bothered rescuing the girl if I hadn't requested that."  
  
The younger brother shook his head, "You're right. Heero would not have had a second thought if he didn't have those orders. He only thinks about completing the mission and the death of a girl would only have seemed like a casualty. Not important compared to the necessity of the raid."  
  
Treize gazed back out the window, "He is very single minded. I wonder if the Elder's Council will find him a suitable Leader for the Wolf Wing Clan."  
  
"Not just his personality will be under discussion within the Council," Trowa added, looking wistful. "His blood will also be in question."  
  
"That's right, he's the bu'sala of Odin, isn't he?" Treize remembered, going quiet for a moment before making a thoughtful sigh. "It won't matter now. Odin still has many years to go."  
  
Trowa nodded. Heero was one of the few candidates for his clan's Leader role when his bu'lasa died. The dark teen wasn't one you would call compassionate or kind, indeed he seemed a bit callous and emotionless. Most of the Elders and villagers tended to think he was made of stone and held no feelings for anything living, but they didn't see past the blue eyed boy's well constructed mask.  
  
The green eyed brave had walked onto several moments between Heero and his shadow, Finn. He was genuinely tender while he petted the big wolf's gray head and ears. He had an unspoken connection with the canine and the black stallion, Zero. Trowa also knew that he held his bu'lasa in high regard and was friends with the other four a'saii in his own way. His opposite, Duo, was his best friend. Heero was just an enigma. Trowa was certain that the Elders would make the right choice when the time came.  
  
"Have you talked to the girl, yet?" Treize asked, snapping his rujho out of his thoughts.  
  
Trowa looked up at his Leader's tall figure, another trait of his family. "Yes, Quatre decided it would be best that she knew who we were and was kept under surveillance at all times. Heero has Finn keeping her out of trouble most of the time and he houses her."  
  
"Hm, what about the other children you picked up?" he asked thoughtfully, again looking out the window onto the field of nature.  
  
"Catherine and I are housing them. Most are about six or seven season-turns and only know each other and the other teen girl, who has been taking care of them with Catherine."  
  
"Any idea what the surviving townspeople think about the killings?"  
  
"Wufei did some listening and found out that the survivors went to the nearby army fort for shelter and that they think that the general's sister is dead. We can only assume that they think the same of the other eight."  
  
"So you don't know for certain?" Treize asked and Trowa nodded. "Very well. I don't want you and Catherine to care for all of the children. Spread them out among the braves but allow them to still communicate with the others. That way there won't be any problems."  
  
"Anything else, rujho?" Trowa asked, standing.  
  
"Yes," Treize turned to smile at the younger man, "stay for the last meal and leave tomorrow. I'm sure Quatre and the others will understand."  
  
The green eyed brave smiled in return and the two of them exited the council chambers together, as brothers, as family.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
AN: Um . . . Hi! Yeah . . . usually I hate asking people for ideas but this time I'm completely stuck. I have no clue what to write for the next chapter! Damn writer's block . . .  
  
The thing is I now where I want to go with the story but this and the next chapter are kind of for filler and to get the ball rolling for later on when they . . . hey! Wait a minute! I can't tell you that!  
  
*Blinks at the screen for a moment* Where was I? Oh, yeah!  
  
Any ideas would be a great help. So I'm basically asking you what you'd like to see happen. If nobody wants to put in their two cents I guess you'll just have to wait a while for something to come to me. 


	6. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Hi again! Can I just rant a bit before the story starts?  
  
Recently, I added a Gundam Wing one-shot to my list of stories which I took from the manga *Blind Target.* (A must read for all GW fans. Especially Relena/Heero romantics.) So basically I took a moment that I thought was incomplete and bothered me and literally translated it into story form (adding thoughts and feelings that the manga doesn't show). What slightly bothered me was one of the reviews I got for it. It simply complimented me on the idea of the plot (which I didn't write and explained in the Author's Note) and requested me to continue (and I clearly stated over and over that it was a one-shot in the summery and the Author's Note at the beginning of the story). So basically this person didn't even bother to read the Author's Note but I wish people would start to do so. Usually it helps explain some details of the story and characters or the stress that the author is going through and a warning that it might be a while before the next chapter comes out, though sometimes it doesn't. And I hate to say that I'm one of those people who has used the AN to rant (like now) and to talk about my life (look back a couple of chapters). And I feel that I should stop. So from now on I'm only going to write a couple sentences and the disclaimer up here and not a whole gigantic paragraph (like now). ^_^  
  
SO EVERYONE SHOULD READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES!!  
  
Okay . . . I'm done now.  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE: The "Resh'ta-ne" is a fictional tribe that I made up for the purpose of this story. Most of the language must be credited to Jennifer Roberson and her works on the novel series "The Chronicles of the Cheysuli." I don't own Gundam Wing or any of the characters and am using them without any gain except to better my writing abilities and to have fun doing it. However, while the characters and the language don't belong to me . . . the plot line does! So HA!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Dances in the Glen  
  
By: SaiyanBlack  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was dark still and the only sound in the hut was the gentle breathing of the three-year-old boy wrapped in fur blankets only a foot away from where Relena herself was laying. She lay on her stomach under the fur of some huge animal, warm and comfortable, but unable to close her eyes and sleep. Outside the tent-like hut, she could hear the noises of the forest. Mostly crickets and the rustling of the trees in the wind that had picked up speed when they had settled in for the night.  
  
She sighed and shifted her position again, but unable to find a comfortable spot that allowed her to fall asleep. She found herself on her left side, facing an empty space of the small back room of the tent. A big heavy skin lay there like usual, but the person who usually rested under it was not to be seen. Now that she thought about it, there had been no deep voice telling her to stay still and go to sleep like there usually would have been. She would have kept him awake with all her movement if he were there.  
  
It was probably near morning by now and she had never seen him enter the tent or settle down to rest. They had stopped and set camp well into the night and would probably decamp before dawn like usual and start riding by the time the false dawn started. But the brave called Heero never seemed to need sleep. She wondered if he had something like insomnia . . . or just a wondering mind, like the one that was plaguing Relena now with these meaningless thoughts.  
  
Shifting around again, she stopped when her hand came into contact with something hard. She turned her head to the side to see what it was and came face to face with her favorite book and the only original possession that she owned. Her clothes were in scraps, probably buried in the deep mud near the river where she and Hilde had first taken their baths as Indian captives. Her shoes had vanished soon after that, as well as her blue hair ribbon. So here she was, dressed in cheysu - girl - leather pants and tunic as well as moccasins, her hair was unbound and knotted in every way imaginable, and her only link to her life back in Jefferson was a hardbound book that had the words "Little Women" printed on the spine in gold colored ink.  
  
She was supposed to teach Heero how to read English huh? 'Little Women' wasn't exactly the best book to start out with, but it was the only resource that she had and she'd have to make due. On the other hand, Heero had kept his side of the deal in the past twenty-four hours and had pointed out things and told her the Resh'ta-ne word for that object or animal. "Chey" was boy and "cheysu" was girl. "Lulu" was rabbit and "fala" was crow. All this had been pointed out as they rode through the forest with the rest of their large group.  
  
Something she'd noticed during their daily treks was that the braves never rode together. They separated themselves from each other, taking different paths through the forest that maybe one other horse would take several moments later. They didn't really ride close enough to talk so the rides were usually silent, something she found odd for a group of this size. The armies that had gone through Jefferson could be heard a mile away with all the noise they made. They walked in lines and their feet moved at the same time, making the ground shake like a circus was going by when they got near and creating dust and noise that made you want to gag and run inside to get away from it all.  
  
Since her brother was in the military and she knew something about that, she found herself comparing the organization and activities of her brother's troupes to the party of Resh'ta-ne braves that had captured her. In her eyes she thought the natives where far better than the white men when it came to being secretive and stealthy. She had a notion that a white soldier couldn't sneak up on a brave to save his life. The braves were far too intune with the sounds and feelings around them for a man that has never set foot in the deeper parts of the forest to catch them by surprise.  
  
She tossed again, this time to look up at the peaked leather ceiling, and let out a frustrated sigh. Why couldn't she go to sleep? Aggravated, Relena threw the fur off her fully clothed body, stood and stretched a bit before slowly walking out of the back room of the painted tent. The main room with the small fire pit was empty and the fire put out and cold. It seemed that Heero hadn't been in here for a while either. Quietly, she ducked under the door flap and stepped into the cool night air. The wind picked up her hair and tossed it into her face, but she just brushed it away and sighed.  
  
"You should be asleep."  
  
Relena practically jumped out of her skin at the sound of his deep monotone voice and whipped her head around trying to spot him. Not surprisingly she found him sitting only a couple feet away in the knee high grass of the meadow that they camped in. Lying in the grass next to him with his head in the brave's lap was Finn, whose yellow eyes were closed as he had his pointy ears scratched.  
  
"What?" she asked, just realizing that he'd told her something.  
  
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, never stopping his hand moving over Finn's head. In the waning moon light, she could see his usual emotionless face and the glow of his blue eyes as he gazed at her. She watched him as he studied her, unsure of exactly why she was standing outside with him. He seemed to come to a conclusion about whatever was on his mind and motioned her to come closer.  
  
She stepped toward him slowly and came to sit next to him in the grass. The meadow felt so different from this point of view. The grass came up to her chest and walled them in while the shadow-like trees looked even bigger from her position on the ground and it seemed like the whole camp had changed. She could no longer see the remains of cooking fires and only the tops of tents were visible. She wondered if this is how the world looked to animals.  
  
"Look up," Heero told her and when she did she was assaulted with an unbelievable number of sparkling stars.  
  
"Oh, wow. It's beautiful," she breathed as she looked at the galaxy of jewels above her in the ring of treetops. It was breathtaking and almost indescribable. It never looked this clear back home because of all the dust and smoke in the air from the farms and homes. But here, in the middle of the woods, they were like a million of twinkling lights, scattered across the black expanse of sky.  
  
"Do you see those three stars right there?" he asked her, pointing up at a corner of the dark sky with his free hand. Relena leaned closer to him and looked up the slant of his tanned, muscular arm and spotted three glowing stars in a V shape that seemed to twinkle at the end of his finger. She nodded, keeping her eyes on the spot so she wouldn't lose them.  
  
"Now look at the smaller stars below them and tell me what it looks like."  
  
Relena took her eyes away from the sky for a moment to look at his face so near to hers. Oddly, she didn't feel awkward being so close to someone who only two weeks ago she thought was going to kill her. His face was turned up and the night sky was reflected in his blue eyes. Doing what he'd asked, she looked back up to the stars and found the V before looking at the smaller ones below it. It took her a moment to connect the odd shape she was seeing to something real, but when she did she smiled as suddenly the V shape turned into a head and two wing tips with all the littler stars forming hundreds of feathers.  
  
"It's a bird," she whispered in wonder.  
  
"Liluye - it means 'singing hawk while soaring,'" Heero told her quietly and she found herself caught up in the sound of his low voice as he continued, still stroking Finn's thick gray fur. "A long time ago, many, many season-turns before the white man and the Resh'ta-ne, the land was governed by the ways of nature. The cycle of life that the beings of the forests and open plains follow to keep the land in harmony."  
  
"The cycle?" Relena asked when he paused.  
  
He nodded, his eyes still looking up at the night sky. "The grass feeds off the land, the mouse feeds off the grass, the owl feeds off the mouse and when the owl dies he becomes the land. It's a circle. Everything has a purpose, no creature or being is more important than the others. Not even us. We too are apart of the cycle, just like the owl and the mouse."  
  
She stayed silent, unsure if her voice would work. She had never thought of the animals like that, like they were there for a purpose. The wolves that ate the livestock of farmers or the mice that lived around the houses. To her people they were considered pests or nuisances. They didn't have a purpose. Domestic animals like cats and dogs had purposes that benefited the owner, the same going to animals like horses and cattle.  
  
The idea that humans were equal to plants and animals was new to her . . . but she found herself quickly accepting it and eager to learn more. She waited for Heero to continue and gazed at his profile against the stars and moon.  
  
"Liluye is the guardian of the skies," he said, his voice still that constant monotone, but it still entranced her. "She controls the rain and the wind and watches the land from above where she can see everything. She and her brothers and sisters created us, each adding a bit of them into our spirits. Liluye gave us grace to overcome walking on our hind legs and honor to be proud of who we are and our differences from the other creatures and each other."  
  
The legend intrigued her. It was against everything she was ever told to believe in, but it was interesting and captured her. The Christian church taught that God made the world . . . but the natives believed that the animals were on Earth before humans and they were the ones that created them. Like the creatures were gods.  
  
"So the animals are like you peoples' gods?" she asked hesitantly and watched his face as seemed to contemplate his wording.  
  
"Not like you see a god," he actually looked at her for the first time since she came out of the tent and she only gazed back, trapped in his eyes. "We believe that everything has a spirit; rocks, trees, flowers, rivers, animals, the moon and sun. We don't -" he paused, like he was trying to find the right word, "- worship them. They are like our brothers . . . friends. We understand each other and let each other go about our own business. We live in harmony together."  
  
Relena pulled her eyes away from his and looked up at the twinkling sky. "Unlike us," she said to herself, but not surprisingly he heard her.  
  
"The white men like to own and command. They don't understand the cycle and think that they are superior to the animals and nature," he told her calmly.  
  
She nodded, agreeing with him. Europeans and Americans were just the way he described them. Too much greed and want had caused their past to be full of wars and destruction. How many emperors and kings had tried to rule the known world? How many would there be in the future? Relena yawned, again drawing the brave's attention.  
  
"You should go back to sleep," he told her, nodding toward the tent only a couple of feet away from where the three of them sat. She yawned again and stood slowly and a bit stiffly before looking down at his unruly brown hair and light reflecting blue eyes.  
  
She smiled softly at him, "Goodnight."  
  
"Hn," was his reply but she had a feeling that was about as good as she would get. She walked back into the tent and into the back room to the warm fur that she'd claimed. As she lay down, she checked up on the sleeping Eli before snuggling under the big skin and closing her eyes to fall into a dreamless sleep herself.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Quatre was awake and brushing down Sandrock when he first heard the whistle of the sentry. It was returned and he saw a red mare burst through the underbrush from the north side of the grassy meadow that they had camped in for the night. Once she trotted into the moonlight, he knew immediately who the rider was. Sandrock sidestepped a bit before becoming still again and continuing to chomp on the tall grasses.  
  
The blonde brave watched as Trowa dismounted and led Heavy over to the painted red tent, where he began to groom and care for his mount. Surprisingly, Catherine was awake, or had been awakened by the heavy hoof steps of Trowa's mare, and exited the tent to look around. She spotted her brother only feet away and threw herself at him. Quatre smiled and watched as the two talked in hushed voices.  
  
They were always very close, being separated by only a season, and loved each other very much. A closeness that Quatre was always envious of, since it was hard to become close with twenty-nine sisters who are far older than you. He was the last in the line of attempts for a son and now his father was ill and waning.  
  
He was in the prime candidacy for the role of Clan leader and he was dreading it. With his father's health becoming worse everyday, the Elder's council was becoming far more persistent that the next leader be named. Becoming leader would hinder his participation in the events to come with the a'saii of the Resh'ta-ne. He, like Trowa and Catherine's rujho, would be stuck back in the Village as he worked from the sidelines. Although, he didn't like fighting or killing, Quatre enjoyed working on the frontline with the other four a'saii.  
  
Across the field, Trowa walked into their tent with Catherine at his side.  
  
Earlier, he'd seen Heero and Relena talking in the long grass for a while. They seemed to be having a very interesting conversation about stars because he'd seen Heero point up at the sky and both of them gaze up there for a while. He'd been unable to hear any of their conversation, but after about an hour Relena stood and returned to Heero's painted tent. A few minutes later, the brave himself had retreated into the shelter with his shadow at his heels.  
  
Quatre took a deep breath of the cool night air and sighed. The moonlight shined down on the clearing and highlighted the earthy paints on all the tents around the field. He hugged his sandy colored gelding around his thick neck and decided that it was about time that he turned in. He ducked under the door flap and around the unlit fit pit in the center of the main room.  
  
As he rearranged the furs in the back room of this sun painted tent, he made a mental note to himself to talk to Trowa in the morning about Treize's orders and to talk to Duo about what was in that flat bread at dinner. . . .  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was early morning in the clearing and Hilde stood outside a tent with a sun painted over the door flap with Devin, Jason, Theresa, Adam and Leon. Catherine had led them here then entered the tent with the tall brave that lived with her. After that she'd seen the one with the long braid, who smiled at her and the children as he passed, and dark haired brave enter. So it was just the six of them waiting in the cool dawn. Bethany rubbed her eyes again and Jason yawned, causing a chain reaction as Theresa, Adam and Devin yawned as well. Leon stood off to the side, his arms crossed over his chest. But she saw him blink several times like he was trying to wake up.  
  
Hilde heard footsteps behind her and nearly jumped when a hand was placed on her shoulder. She spun to look at the culprit and came face to face with Relena, a warm smile on her face. She held Eli in her arms and the young boy was lying against her shoulder with his eyes closed. A big gray creature stopped next to her and sat next to her feet, causing the more coherent children to back away in fright of the huge, powerful looking canine.  
  
"Don't worry," Relena told them with a reassuring smile, "he won't hurt you. He's actually really nice."  
  
Only Adam seemed reassured and he cautiously approached the wolf and reached his hand out for him to sniff like you would for an unknown dog. Finn took the offer and butted his cool nose against the boy's palm, then moved his head so Adam's hand slid up to the pointy ears, like he was offering them for a scratch. The blonde boy went ahead and moved his fingers along the base of the tall ears and one of Finn's yellow eyes closed in pleasure.  
  
Relena smiled as Jason became intrigued and slowly stepped to stand next Adam to run his hand over the thick ruff of fur at Finn's neck. When nothing bad happened, he continued, a delighted smile lighting up his blue eyes. The girls and Devin got in on it and soon both of Finn's eyes were closed as he reveled in all the attention he was getting.  
  
"Hn," a deep voice said from behind them. Relena recognized it immediately, but Hilde jumped in surprise. The two young women turned to look up at Heero, but he was watching the five children and his companion with an amused look. The brave chuckled slightly, startling the girls again, before shaking his head and moving to enter the tent and disappearing behind the door flap.  
  
Hilde turned to Relena with a stunned look. "Did he just laugh?" she asked.  
  
Relena looked at the door to the sun painted tent with a small smile on her face and nodded to Hilde's question. The other girl wondered what that dreamy smile was about but thought better about questioning. She could never tell who was listening and who wasn't.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Inside the six Resh'ta-ne sat around Quatre's front room, in the middle of a conversation about Treize's orders.  
  
"So he wants us to wait?" Duo asked with a scowl on his face, "After all this, he's not even going to give us a heads-up on what the Council members are thinking? What about the Elders?"  
  
"He just said to wait, Duo," Trowa repeated calmly to the frustrated warrior.  
  
"What's he up to?" Catherine wondered from between her brother and Quatre. The males turned their attention to her at her confusion filled question.  
  
"What do you mean?" Heero asked, his usual monotone still in play.  
  
"He's always given us updates on what the Leaders and Elders are doing so we don't get in the way," she explained, reminding them of past occurrences. "But now he's keeping it all to himself and not giving us information. There's got to be something going on," she concluded putting her chin in her hand.  
  
"Are you sure he didn't give you some hint in his conversation?" Quatre asked Trowa, but the green eyed brave shook his head.  
  
"The Wolf Wing Clan leadership came up once during our initial conversation and at dinner he mentioned something about the Elders being divided on something but he wouldn't elaborate."  
  
"He's hiding something from us," Wufei stated. "Something is happening with the Council and he's not letting the information leak out to us."  
  
Catherine sat up straighter and turned to face her brother. "Did Leia or Mariemaia say anything? Harana could never keep her mouth shut about gossip like that."  
  
Trowa shook his head, "Treize knows that, he never talks about business around Mariemaia anymore."  
  
"And Leia is very loyal," Quatre added, "If Treize asked her not to say anything about it, she wouldn't. He has great trust in her."  
  
"So we have no leads. That bites," Duo grumbled and got a glare from Wufei.  
  
Heero moved the conversation to a slightly different topic. "What about his request about the children?"  
  
Trowa looked at Heero, reading the suppressed emotions within the dark blue eyes. The tall brave was surprised to see that the other stoic warrior was somewhat concerned but kept his reaction to himself.  
  
"He said we should split them up to ease the burden of having nine captives. Allow them time together during camping hours, but make it easier to manage them during the rides."  
  
"Makes sense," Duo said thoughtfully. "I'll gladly take on a couple if you want. Haven't got anything else to do lately."  
  
"I will take on one as well," Quatre added, smiling at Catherine and Trowa.  
  
Catherine thought a moment before looking to Trowa. "We can take the twins, Theresa and Jason without any trouble. I think Duo can handle other older girl, Hilde, and her brother and Adam would be a good match for Quatre. What do you think?" she asked and her brother considered her choices from what he knew of the children.  
  
He smiled at her and nodded before adding to her list. "Since Heero already has his hands full, I think Leon would work well with Wufei and we could take on the other girl as well."  
  
Wufei glared at the siblings, "There's no way I'm taking care of some uncultured brat. Keep me out of this."  
  
"Aw come on, buddy. Pull your weight," Duo told him with a teasing smile.  
  
"Look whose talking," the dark haired brave said with a smirk and the braided warrior glared at him. Quatre held up his hands to stop another oncoming fight between the two and settled things before Duo could take a swipe at Wufei.  
  
"Stop it you two," he scolded them and Duo turned his eyes away from the other brave and pouted. Wufei just kept his aloft attitude and the smirk never came off his face, since he had succeeded in getting the braided brave riled up once again.  
  
"Wufei just take the boy on. It won't hurt you to do it for a couple more days," Trowa tried to persuade the stubborn warrior.  
  
The dark haired brave sighed, "Very well. I will take on this Leon until we get to the Village, then he will have to find another sponsor."  
  
Quatre chuckled and shook his head, "We wouldn't expect anything more from you." He then addressed the rest of them, "Now that that's all settled, I suppose that it's about time that we tell the people in question. Catherine, would you do the honor of introducing us to each of our charges, since you seem to have gotten to know them fairly well?"  
  
The redheaded cheysu nodded and stood from her place on the fur covered floor to walk out of the tent. The others followed her one at a time and they stepped out into the morning sunlight. The group of children and teens sat outside in the grass in front of the hut, some still petting Finn's big head and thick fur as he lay among them. Relena and Hilde sat close together talking quietly to each other as the small boy sat in the blonde's lap playing with the tip of Finn's tail as it twitched back and forth on the ground in front of him.  
  
When the six of them stepped out most of the activity stopped and eight questioning faces were turned up to look at them. Catherine and Quatre smiled at them in an attempt to soothe the scared faces of the young girls and the concerned ones of Hilde and Relena.  
  
"Don't worry," Catherine told them in English as the braves behind her listened patiently. "We're just going to split you up among us until we get back to our home. You'll still be able to see each other."  
  
Adam and Leon nodded slowly, understanding what was going on a bit better than the other younger children. Relena and Hilde traded a look before giving the group of Resh'ta-ne in front of them their full attention.  
  
"Jason, Theresa and Bethany," she addressed the three six-year-olds with a smile, "you'll continue to stay with Trowa and me, alright?"  
  
The three in question nodded dumbly, not really knowing what else to do.  
  
"Adam," she continued, waving for him to come closer and the blonde boy stood slowly to stand in front of her. "I'd like you to meet Quatre. He'll be taking care of you from now on."  
  
The ten-year-old looked up at the blonde brave, who smiled down at him warmly. One corner of Adam's mouth twitched up in a weak smile in return, still very unsure of this new person.  
  
Catherine smiled at the two of them before addressing the oldest of the group of children. "Leon, this is Wufei," she introduced them, pointing to the dark haired brave. "I think you two will get along just fine if you do what he says, okay?"  
  
Neither character made a comment about her statement but instead sized each other up like opponents. Neither seemed to find anything to their dislike and Wufei cracked an amused smirk as he continued to look down on the brown haired boy. He snorted and turned away from the group, throwing a single word over his shoulder.  
  
"Come."  
  
Leon crossed his arms over his chest and followed the older male away from the group, not saying a goodbye or even giving any of the others a glance as he left.  
  
"You're right, Trowa," Duo commented in English with a grin, "They're a pair."  
  
"Indeed," Quatre agreed with a smile and a shake of his head.  
  
Catherine giggled a little before turning to Hilde. "Duo has agreed to take you and your brother on as long as you help him cook. I've taught you the basics so I think you'll be fine if you make plenty. Duo tends to eat a lot," she said with a grin and the braided brave stuck his tongue out at her.  
  
"So what if I have a big appetite," he said defensively. "It's healthy."  
  
"Is that what your mother told you?" Heero asked, an amused look crossing his features.  
  
"Shut up, Heero," Duo snapped, swiping at the other brave's head, but Heero dodged it easily. The violet eyed brave glared at him and all he did was raise a questioning brow.  
  
Quatre and Catherine laughed, Trowa chuckling lightly at his friend's easily riled attitude. Heero and Wufei got to Duo the most, teasing him was one of their past times. Duo teased them as well, but he didn't have the capacity to let everything slide off like water on a duck's back like the two more serious braves did. Laughing, to the group, was like a breath of fresh air and Duo usually provided it, whether on purpose or not.  
  
As the laugher died down, Heero looked up at the sky and the horizon beyond the trees.  
  
"We should get going," he informed the others and they took looked at the position of the sun and nodded.  
  
"Come on you three," Catherine called to the twins and Bethany. They each got up and waved to Relena and the others, who waved or smiled back, before following Catherine back to the red painted tent with a soaring hawk above the door flap. Trowa shared a look with the three other a'saii before following his rujholla.  
  
Quatre smiled at the remaining children before putting a hand on Adam's shoulder. The boy looked up at him nervously for a moment and the blonde brave nodded toward the tent that stood behind them.  
  
"Have you eaten yet?" he asked and the boy shook his head. Quatre just smiled, "Come in. I have some left over from my breakfast that you are welcome to have."  
  
He led the boy away from the group and ushered him inside. But before he ducked in himself, he turned to Duo and Heero.  
  
"We'll leave by the sun's second position. Get something to eat, I can hear Duo's stomach all the way over here," then he disappeared.  
  
Duo grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head with one hand, "Well, I did only have seconds before I came over. Guess it's about time to finish up, huh?" He turned to look at Hilde and Devin and smiled comically at the two of them, "Well, let's go. I'll show you my place."  
  
He locked his hands behind his head and started whistling as he walked away, Devin and Hilde jumped up and started walking after him, waving goodbye to Relena. She smiled and waved back before standing up and smiling up at Heero. Something had changed between them the night before and they both felt the familiarity.  
  
"'Lena, I'm hungry!" Eli told her has he clasped onto her hand. She answered him, though she looked at Heero.  
  
"How does breakfast sound?" she asked both of them at the same time.  
  
"Yay! Please!" he exclaimed and tugged on her hand. Relena smiled down at him, finally pulling her eyes away from Heero's blue ones and started walking back toward their tent with Eli beside her, holding her hand.  
  
Heero watched her for a moment, unsettled by the feelings that had been opened. He wasn't allowed to have those feelings with a captive, but she acted less like a captive and more like a young Resh'ta-ne girl every day, though she still had her bred kinks.  
  
Life continued to get weirder every day didn't it? 


	7. Under the Bridge

Disclaimer: - Gundam Wing: Hajime Yadate & Yoshiyuki Tomino - "Resh'ta-ne" language: Jennifer Roberson (Chronicles of the Cheysuli) & several Native American languages - Dances in the Glen story line: MINE!  
  
MWHAHAHAHAHAHA  
  
*cough* Sorry. ^_^'  
  
AN: at end ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Dances in the Glen  
  
By: SaiyanBlack  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Bear?"  
  
"Huslu."  
  
A nod.  
  
"Deer?"  
  
"Dyani."  
  
Another nod.  
  
"Boy?"  
  
"Chey."  
  
"Good. Smoke?"  
  
"Iy-eea?"  
  
He reached out and held her jaw in a certain position with one hand as her blue eyes watched with a surprised, yet patient, expression. When he was satisfied her mouth was in the correct position to pronounce the word correctly he addressed her once more, keeping his firm but gentle grip on her chin.  
  
"Say it again," he ordered.  
  
"Iye."  
  
He removed his hand.  
  
"Again."  
  
"Iye."  
  
"Better. Coyote?"  
  
A short silence.  
  
"Mikasi?"  
  
"That's enough for tonight. Catherine said she wanted to see you."  
  
Relena blinked at her companion for a moment before nodding. She picked up the greens and herbs that she had been cutting as Heero gave her lesson and placed them in the dried hide bag that held the preserved ingredients for most of their meals. He watched her clean up as he continued to prepare the venison for their dinner.  
  
He watched as her golden hair swayed over her back and shoulders as she checked on the three year old that slept against Finn's furred body. Watched as a small smile spread across her face at the sight of the boy and canine. She turned to look at his sitting form and smiled before ducking out of the tent and into the twilight air.  
  
Finn's pointed ears perked forward, one slightly lopsided as he pointedly looked at the dark haired brave that continued to cut with the small dagger. Heero glanced at the yellow eyes with a raised brow before he seemed to understand what the wolf was trying to tell him.  
  
"Let her go," the brave told his comrade, "Catherine is expecting her."  
  
That seemed to placate him and Finn dropped his huge head back down onto the floor, letting out a sigh. The brave's cobalt eyes rested on his friend's form with a small smile before going back to the meat he'd caught earlier that evening.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Catherine smiled when Relena's blonde head poked under the door flap of the red painted hut she and Trowa shared. Already, Hilde had come, dropped off by Duo earlier with a grin. The female Resh-ta'ne had a feeling that he knew more about what was happening than he let on.  
  
"Hello," the blonde greeted the two other women with a warm, but uncertain smile. Catherine waved for her to come in and continued weaving her fingers through Hilde's short hair. The younger girl was sitting nervously in front of her and only gave Relena a very weak smile that Catherine couldn't see. The blonde cast her friend a sympathetic look and sighed. How ever much Relena was adapting and accepting the life with the Resh-ta'ne, Hilde was rejecting it and letting herself be led around like a pack animal.  
  
It distressed Relena to see her best friend like that. She had become close to Heero - in a companionable way - but hardly knew the others they traveled with, only knowing five by name. Hilde knew the same that Relena did, but was completely homesick - at least that was what the blonde had gathered from their few conversations. Even the younger children were adapting better than the short haired girl.  
  
"Have a seat, Relena," Catherine told her, not looking up from her work on the other girl's shorter hair. "Once I'm done with Hilde I'll do your hair. Quatre said to get you two ready for when we enter the village."  
  
The blonde nodded in understanding and took a seat on a plush stack of furs nearby, watching what Catherine was doing. She was shocked to see that the woman was actually braiding Hilde's very short hair. Somehow her deft fingers were tightly winding the girl's dark hair in two individual rows on either side of her head. And it was staying!  
  
She wondered what 'getting them ready' included.  
  
"How are you doing that?" she asked Catherine, curiously as she watched the redheaded woman braid. Her ice blue eyes glanced up from her work for a moment to study her and the woman smiled.  
  
"I'll teach you. Come look," nodding with her head for Relena to come stand next to her behind Hilde and explained, "Hilde's hair is just long enough to use a six-strand plait. Watch my fingers."  
  
Relena looked at the taller woman's face for a moment before turning to watch her weave the dark strands of hair together with practiced ease.  
  
Catherine began speaking again, "Unlike many native cultures, the Resh'ta- ne don't have a tradition when it comes to hair length. As I'm sure you've noticed. My harana - my niece - has hair about the same length as this," she said, gesturing to Hilde. "And my jehana - my mother - used to braid my hair this way when I was a child."  
  
Relena thought about her own mother and how she used to sit with her when she was little and brush her hair in the evenings when her father would be in the parlor talking with his colleagues. She remembered the loving peaceful feeling that she got from those moments and a part of her became homesick at the memory. But those days were over, she didn't know if she'd ever see her family again or what would happen in the course of this war-to- come. Who would die? Where would she and the other captives be at the end?  
  
Guess she had to wait and see.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next morning found them traveling though the forest again, only this time Relena was seated behind Heero, her head against his back. They had packed up camp and set out far earlier than usual, when the sky was still heavy with stars and the moon only just starting to descend behind the trees. When Catherine had come to her with a heavy basket, Relena had been far too weary to ask when they gently placed Eli inside in a face-down position and secured him with the leather case. She didn't complain when the lady Resh'ta-ne helped her settle it on her back so it was comfortable and assist her into place behind Heero on his black stallion.  
  
Even fully clothed as she was, the cool morning air chilled her and she found herself leaning against Heero's bare warm back, whom the cold didn't seem to bother. Eli was snuggly bundled in the basket on her back and still sleeping, small, even puffs of warm air on her bare neck let her know he was alright. Heero, as usual, didn't speak much but she was too busy trying to stay awake to really start up a conversation. He didn't seem to mind that she was kind of invading his personal space, but she found over the past couple weeks that he was a very observant person and usually knew what someone was going to do before they themselves realized it.  
  
Stifling a yawn, Relena pushed a stray strand of golden hair away from her face, tucking it back from where it had escaped the braid that hung over her shoulder. Catherine had taken no time to start braiding her hair in this fashion last night, just started combing her hair out with her long fingers taking less then a couple minutes to braid across the back of her head from above one ear to below the other. She had to admit, it felt weird to have her hair pulled away from the back of her neck, as she had come accustomed to over the past several days.  
  
Their trip lasted late into the night, another oddity in their routine that caught her attention, but while it was again dark and the sky riddled with stars, the group continued on through the dense forest. Relena found herself - again - using Heero as a warmer, for the nights this far north were just as cold as the mornings and she was tired and stiff from their constant travel over the day.  
  
They had only stopped to eat once a little after midday, though she had fed Eli once before when he woke up, passing back a strip of preserved meat for him to chew on, but she was starting to become hungry again. So it was a relief to her when they stopped, their entire group coming into the same clearing of dappled moonlight, facing a great heavy rock face.  
  
She'd learned from experience not to ask what was going on until the silence was broken by someone else, which was usually Duo. So she stayed in silence, her eyes darting around the clearing, waiting for something unknown to jump out of the shadows and attack. Nothing happened. Everyone was silent and the only sounds were the shifting of the horses and the breathing of her companions. A pale figure passed eerily on her right side and at a second look she recognized Quatre and his pale gelding moving ahead of them. She watched over Heero's shoulder as the blonde Resh'ta-ne produced two loud sounds that almost sounded like bird-calls. A moment later it was answered with a different tone and figures appeared out of the shadows around them.  
  
Relena watched as the figures spoke with Quatre for a moment before they vanished into the shadows again and the mounted teen turned to wave back at the group. Heero tapped her hands and she released his waist as he dismounted, giving her a look that plainly said "stay." She noticed the other braves were also dismounting and leading their horses toward the rock wall one by one. Heero followed, Zero walking along side without any encouragement.  
  
She sat quietly, confused as those rider-less horses ahead of her disappeared into the blackness of the shadows without a trace. Heero led them after, pushing through a veil of vines and into a narrow passageway, only big enough for one horse to walk comfortably. It became unspeakably dark after the little light from the moon was blocked out by the vines and Relena ducked down closer to Zero's neck, which she couldn't see in the darkness. If she couldn't hear the heavy sounds of hoof beats or feel the rippling muscles beneath her, she would have thought everything around her had disappeared.  
  
It seemed like forever until she saw a glint of light ahead of them and shadows passing before it, making it wink out and reappear as they got closer. She saw shadows of men and horses pass the light and round a corner and they soon followed, the tunnel they were in becoming increasingly lighter with red tinted relief, the jagged stone planed smooth and carvings etched into its surface. Relena watched in fascination as they passed by the painted rock face and stared in wonder when they turned the corner and broke into the light.  
  
She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the change and could only look around her in amazement when everything came into focus. It was a gigantic cavern, stairs and buildings carved out of the heavy stone. The center enclosure they had just entered looked like a courtyard to some primal castle, trees and bushes grew around the base of the rock walls. Looking up, gaped at the dome shaped roof that towered over them.  
  
People started to appear out of the openings in the rock, peeking their heads out of high windows above them or running out of doorways to join the traveling group. A girl with black pigtails caught her attention as she threw herself at the startled Wufei. The brave seemed taken aback, but easily relaxed in her arms, placing a kiss onto her forehead. A little redheaded girl jumped up into Trowa's arms, hugging him around the neck just as Catherine embraced a redheaded man and a blonde woman.  
  
A blonde man approached her and Heero; coming up to the brave and clasping arms with him in a friendly greeting. For the first time in the couple of weeks that she'd come to know him, Heero cracked a smile. Though not nearly as big as Duo's grin, it was sincere and happy.  
  
Looking around her again, Relena saw happy families and friends being reunited. She wondered if she'd ever see hers again.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
AN: Okay, I guess you could say this is a plea for help. I'm stuck. No, seriously. I have writer's block the size of North America. I know where I want to go with this story, I just ran out of clues about how to get there. I don't want to abandon the story and this is really bothering me.  
  
So! If any of you wonderful readers have an idea about what you would like to happen (I know at least one of you is a Cheysuli fan) drop me a note with your idea. Maybe it will jar something in my cluttered brain and I'll pull out a couple good sized chapters.  
  
But for now, I hope this six page wonder will sedate you somewhat. I don't want to die just yet . . . . 


	8. Family System

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing - Tomino & Yatate Language - Jennifer Roberson, several Native American languages and me. Plot/Storyline/Original Characters - me.  
  
AN: at the end  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Dances in the Glen  
  
By SaiyanBlack  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Duo couldn't help but look around the Village anxiously. He was HOME! It had been so long since he'd been home last, maybe about a month. He sighed; a month was way too long. He was near the last of the party, leading Scythe after Heero into the long tunnel that led to the Village center. The gray gelding seemed to echo his feelings, dancing across the rock ground with bottled energy, causing the two riders to hold on tighter.  
  
Speaking of those two, Duo turned to lend a hand and pulled the child off first, gently placing him on the ground by his feet. He reached up to grab the girl, but she gave him a hard look and slid off on her own . . . to the other side of the horse. What had that been about? He could see the top of her head over the broad gray back and it seemed she was looking at the others in the group as they were greeted by family.  
  
Shrugging to himself, he picked up the boy, who was asleep on his feet, and motioned for Scythe to follow Heero's Zero, who was trotting off to the stables. Given the prospect of food, the gelding weaved his way out of the small crowd of people, disappearing in the wooden shack, built up against the heavy south wall.  
  
"Duo!"  
  
He turned toward the sound, spotting his nokomis and both of his nokomi coming toward him from under their Clan's arch. The older blonde woman came up to him, reaching up to pull his head down and placed a motherly kiss on his forehead.  
  
"Aw, Helen-tante! Would you quit that!"  
  
She smiled up at him, "You're not all grown up yet!" she told him, patting his cheek with her hand.  
  
"But it's gross!" he said indignantly, rubbing his forehead with his free hand. She laughed at his childish manner as her cheylo and rujho joined them.  
  
"It's not going to hurt you Duo," the older of the two men told him, chuckling. "If her kisses were poisonous, I would have been dead long before now."  
  
Duo grinned and shook his head, "That's different, you guys are married! It's well known that married people are immune to each other, if they weren't then there wouldn't be any people!"  
  
The group laughed and Duo drank it up. It was good to be around people who laughed again, he thought. Heero was his best friend and all, but man, it was like talking to a wall sometimes. His family laughed all the time and he relished in it when he was home.  
  
"Why don't you introduce us to your friend, Duo?"  
  
He blinked a couple of times before figuring out what his nokomi was talking about, but when he did he felt instantly guilty. He'd completely forgot about the girl when his family came out to greet them. The boy was asleep in his arms, but his brain was too distracted to register his weight. At least he hadn't dropped the poor child. Turning to look behind him, he spotted the girl, looking more than a bit tired and put out.  
  
"Nuna!" He called out and motioned for her to come over when she looked up at him. She seemed puzzled and on the spot for a moment before hesitantly approaching. His nokomis gave him a look at his choice of words but he had to admit, the word had just popped out of his mouth before he could stop it. When she was standing beside him, he looked down and addressed her.  
  
"I guess you're stuck with me for a while," he teased with a grin, but she only returned it half-heartedly. Internally, he frowned. This girl needed some cheering up and he was just the person to do it. If possible, his grin got wider. "So I better introduce you to the family. This is my uncle Helen," he said pointing to his nokomis, purposely using the wrong English word to title the older woman. Of course, since none of them knew any English, they were nodding in greeting as if being introduced properly. "And her wife, my flea Maxwell and her grandmother, my flea Howard."  
  
Glancing at the girl beside him, he saw a smile on her face that she was desperately trying to hide. He grinned wider, touching her chin with his finger. She flinched and looked up at him, startled.  
  
"You have a pretty smile," he told her and watched her face go red, "You should do it more often."  
  
She turned her face away and he let out a small smirk. She was cute when she was embarrassed, he thought to himself. Catching the looks his family was giving him, he remembered what he had been doing before he was distracted by the small girl.  
  
"Helen-tante, Howard-tante, Maxwell-tante," he said, switching back to their native language, "this is Hilde and her rujho, Devin."  
  
Helen smiled warmly at the two and all but pounced on the child asleep against Duo's shoulder. She lifted the young boy and cooed over him, turning to look at Hilde with a concerned look. She addressed the girl through Duo, language being a barrier between them.  
  
"They look completely worn out! I'll bet you a'saii traveled for hours on end without stopping, like you always do."  
  
"Hey!" Duo said indignantly, "It's not like it was my fault!"  
  
His nokomis just gave him a passing look and turned to reenter their Clan's main quarters, Devin sleeping comfortably in her arms. Howard-tante followed close behind, pushing aside a thick woven door flap for his rujholla. Maxwell-tante smiled at the two weary young travelers and motioned for them to follow the others.  
  
"Come on, bring her inside. We have the room to house them."  
  
The aging blonde man went ahead of them and Duo turned to look at Hilde, finding a confused look on her face. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her when she jumped and whipped her head up to look at him.  
  
"Let's go, if you're anything like me, it's time to eat!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Wufei followed Meiran through the glow-lit corridors in the Shenlong Clan's quarters. She pulled him by the hand though a curtained doorway and into a room lit by a small fire in an alcove of the wall, away from the low pallet against the opposite wall. Turning, she smiled up at him, her dark eyes sparkling in the low light as she gazed at him. He smiled slightly, the corners of his mouth turning up for the first time in a couple of days.  
  
"I missed you," she told him quietly. He lifted a hand to trace the line of her cheek and leaned down to catch her lips the way he'd been wanting to since she come running at him in the main courtyard of their home. This was home, he thought briefly before pulling away from their embrace to grasp her hand and pull her toward their fur covered bed.  
  
She followed with a mischievous smile, happiness glowing in her dark eyes as she watched her cheylo sit on their pallet and pull her down beside him. They stared at each other for a long moment, just content to be in the other's presence, until Wufei pulled her into his arms again, his lips next to her ear as they lay back onto the thick furs.  
  
"I missed you as well, kishi-na."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Heero pushed aside a thick woven door flap and motioned for Relena to enter before him, which she did, though hesitantly. Eli was asleep still, now in her arms and she stood in the center of the room, unsure of what to do with herself now that she was here. Slowly, she looked up at a pair of dark Prussian blue eyes as they silently watched her from the doorway.  
  
"This will be your room for now. The main rooms are just down this hall to the left, that's where the morning meal will be," he turned away so that she only saw the side of his face, "Get some sleep."  
  
With that, the woven flap fell shut and he vanished.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Catherine giggled with Leia as they watched a sleepy Mariemaia flop down into her jehan's lap, who grunted with the impact of the small child. Trowa cast a small smile at his rujho, who stood gracefully, even with the added weight of his harana.  
  
"Time for you to be asleep," he told the child as he walked to the door.  
  
"Ano," she cried sleepily, "I don't want to go to bed yet. Nokomi and nokomis just got here!"  
  
Catherine stood and spoke to the child on her rujho's shoulder, "We aren't leaving for a while, you can see us for as long as you like tomorrow."  
  
"Will you put me to sleep, Catherine-tante? Please?" the little redhead begged. Catherine sighed, one look at those big blue eyes and she was done for. Smiling, she took the child from Treize and carried her to the door, only looking back to say goodnight to the other adults in the room.  
  
"I'm sorry she had to lie to the child," the Red Hawk Clan leader said in a quiet voice once the door flap had settled in the stone doorway again. Trowa nodded, standing.  
  
"I'm going to get some sleep while I have the chance," he informed his rujho and rujholla, the later of which smiled warmly up at him.  
  
"You'd be right to do so," Treize agreed. "Now that your party is back, the elders and Clan leaders will want to have all the details as soon as possible."  
  
"Yes," the young brave said, heading for the door. "Goodnight."  
  
The woven door fell closed behind him as he walked silently down the hall, only stopping once to look in another room. This one housing three children, sleeping together under the same large fur. As he watched, the boy looked up at him in the doorway.  
  
He gave the child a reassuring smile, though he probably couldn't see it, and said in his gentlest voice, "Don't worry, it's just me. Try to get some sleep."  
  
The boy hesitated a moment, but nodded, laying back down beside the girls. Trowa watched them for a bit longer before silently exiting the room and guiding the thick door flap into it's normal position with a hand so not to worry the boy with the soft sound.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Are you alright, Quatre-tyee?"  
  
The young blonde looked over to a man he considered his great friend. He smiled and nodded, "Yes. I'm fine Rashid, tetsu."  
  
"The boy is asleep now."  
  
"Did he eat?" he questioned, looking back out the small vine covered window of his chamber. Moonlight filtered in though the greenery and shined against his platinum blonde hair.  
  
"Yes. Quite healthily."  
  
He smiled, "Again, thank you."  
  
"You're welcome, Quatre-tyee. Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight, Rashid."  
  
He expected to hear the door flap close with a soft swish, but it never came. He looked over at the door again, but this time he was not met with the friendly face of his tall friend. Instead, his father stood in the doorway, watching him with dark eyes. They were silent for a long time, just staring at each other as the tension between them continued to rise.  
  
"How long have you been back?" the older man asked finally, stepping fully into the room. The flap closed behind him.  
  
Quatre returned his gaze back out to the moon, calculating in his head the position since the group's arrival earlier.  
  
"Approximately two positions."  
  
There was some silence, then a quiet, "I see."  
  
The tension doubled in the room, casting a thick line between the father and son. Neither spoke, neither moved, both waiting for the other to make a move that would break the silence. It didn't happen. Quatre, usually the kind hearted leader, never once looked at his father, seeming to find the moonlit forest outside his window more interesting than the man standing in the room with him. The silence stretched on for what seemed like days, but it was Quatre that broke it.  
  
"It is too late for the impending conversation, jehan. We should both set some sleep before the meeting with the Council tomorrow morning. It will be . . . ." he paused, searching for the word, ". . . draining."  
  
The older man nodded, though he seemed a little disappointed, and turned for the door again. He stopped in the threshold and addressed his son without looking at him, "Yes. Goodnight then, Quatre."  
  
The woven flap closed behind him, leaving the room in silence once again. The blonde youth by the small window never looked away from the vine screened view, but the moonlight caught a crystal sparkle in his eyes before they closed.  
  
"Goodnight, jehan."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Enter."  
  
The five young men entered the largest room in the Village through the only wooden door in their home. It was a great cavernous chamber which was lit by long angular pathways of light that came though the ceiling. Each circle of light was inhabited by a man, each as different as the Clans they represented. Arranged in even rows to the sides of the imposing figures of the Elders, were the five Clan leaders and the Village shaman. This was a place were the spirits communed with mortals and judgment was divine. This was the Council.  
  
In the center of the half circle of leaders was Jor, the Clan Elder from Wolf Wing and the current head of the Council. Long silvery white hair and patched eyes, this was no man to be reckoned with even with his disability. To his left was Gon from Dark Water, a creepy looking man whose scarred face, protruding nose and mushroom shaped hair did nothing to hide how eccentric he was. Next to him was the Elder of Shenlong, Ovan. A large, bald man who, like all the people of his Clan had dark almond shaped eyes.  
  
Next to the tall Elder, was a blonde man with a very debonair feel about him. Odin was a man of action and smooth talking as the Leader of the Wolf Wing Clan. Howard was at his left, watching the room in silence, though a small smile crossed his face as the five young braves entered. To the right of Jor was Sol, the Elder of Red Hawk who gazed at the group around an odd patch on his nose. To his right was the Setting Sun Clan Elder Han, a squat man with an unnatural looking mustache.  
  
Next to him was the Shenlong Leader Ran, an elderly man who was the oldest in his Clan. No longer a warrior, but a great trainer and instructor. At his right was the Setting Sun Clan Leader, Winner. A shrewd man and negotiator, he was strictly against hostile actions, even those of his thirty children. Treize sat with him as the Leader of Red Hawk and the main branch of a'saii, five of his best being under judgment this Council. Across from him and to the left of Howard was the Village's head Shaman, a woman from the Shenlong Clan by the name of Sally.  
  
The five braves faced the semi-circle of men and women with serious faces. They had each been here before and even Duo knew this was the one place where a badly placed comment could seal his fate for the worse. Following tradition, the young men kneeled and bowed in respect to the Council as one.  
  
"Rise," Elder Jor commanded and they brought their heads up from the bow, shifting so that they knelt on both knees and faced the Council with unwavering attention.  
  
"This Council has been brought together for the purpose of discussing the actions of the a'saii, concerning the attack of a white man village that was home to Zechs Marquis and the ensuing capture of several children from said white village," Elder Gon started. He then addressed the braves before him, "How long ago were the orders issued for your mission?"  
  
"A season ago," Quatre answered, his face and voice calm and serious.  
  
"This order was issued after our Council by you Treize, was it not?" Jor asked, his sightless eyes turning in the direction of the Red Hawk Clan Leader.  
  
"Yes, at the decision of this Council to do so," the redheaded man answered, not perturbed by the stare the Elder's empty eyes graced upon him.  
  
Elder Sol made a thoughtful noise. "Explain to this Council the nature of the order," he requested of the young braves.  
  
"We were to scout the area in order plan an attack which would kill none, but instead send a warning to Zechs and his troops," Trowa explained simply.  
  
"How long did you scout for?" Clan Leader Odin asked the green eyed a'saii.  
  
"Twelve Sun-turns, Odin-tyee."  
  
"Who led the attack?" Gon asked and Elder Han made a satisfied noise, signaling his approval of the question.  
  
"Myself and Duo," Heero spoke up from the end of the row of braves.  
  
"Were you successful in following the guidelines of the order?"  
  
"No."  
  
The Council was suddenly quiet, this had been unexpected. Even Treize was surprised with the blunt answer. Heero was one of the candidates for the next leader of the Wolf Wing Clan and was known for never breaching orders and executing the task perfectly. This failure was a startling surprise for the Council members and it showed in their silence. Breaking the pregnant silence, Elder Jor asked the young brave the question on everyone's mind.  
  
"Tell this Council the happenings of your mission and what failure you speak of."  
  
Heero nodded and calmly began the retell the events of the scouting and attack. "The last scouting party was under my leadership, watching the area of forest around the west of the white man village. A white boy saw one of my warriors, of which I was not aware of, and seemingly returned to warn the men of the village. We were caught by surprise on our way to rejoin Duo's party by ten white men with guns. I gave the order to kill them."  
  
Again there was only silence to meet him, though he pushed away the feeling of dread that rose in him. He had failed in following orders, he had killed.  
  
"Heero of Wolf Wing," Leader Ran called for attention, "from what I gather of your explanation, you are taking the blame for this breach."  
  
"Yes," he answered, his voice calm and resigned. "I should have been watching my warriors more closely and should not have chosen that brave for the scouting party. It was my error and my command that killed those white men."  
  
"You understand that this occurrence will be discussed during the evaluations for the Wolf Wing Clan heir, do you not?" Elder Gon asked.  
  
"I do."  
  
Duo chanced a glance at his best friend from where he knelt next to him. He could see the mask in the blue eyes, they looked cold and hard. Heero knew what he did and unfortunately, he was willing to pay for it. That action probably had cost him his chance as Clan Leader, even if Duo knew that there was no one better in the candidacy. There was a season left till that Council. The violet eyed brave just hoped that there would be no more strikes against his stoic friend until then.  
  
"Very well," Elder Jor, breaking the subject, "What was your next move?"  
  
Duo decided to take this one, "We awaited nightfall before moving on with the plan of plundering and setting fire to the village while most of the villagers were in a meeting of some sort. We were successful in the attack and retreat."  
  
"Were any killed?" Elder Ovan spoke for the first time from his position between Elder Gon and Leader Odin.  
  
"No," the braided warrior confirmed, "None of the villagers were killed during the initial raid. Though we did make it seem as if some of the children had died in the fires."  
  
"How many and where are they now?" Sally asked, her feminine voice seeming out of place in the dank chamber of men.  
  
"Nine, Sally-winema," Trowa told her. "Split up among us to ease the burden while traveling. None are any older than sixteen season-turns."  
  
"Tell us of the oldest, Heero," Treize prompted calmly, "and how you found her."  
  
Several of the Elders and Leaders sent a look to the redheaded man from their seated positions. From there they cast their attention to the young man on the left end of the line of braves. Heero looked up at the Council with masked eyes, met glances with Odin, who had met said girl at their home the night before, and turned his gaze back to the whole of the Council members.  
  
"On my raid of a large home in the village I came across a young girl and pulled her from her home as it burnt down. I later learned her name was Relena Peacecraft." He paused for emphasis, "She is Zechs Marquis' only sister."  
  
"You were raiding the home by yourself?" Leader Howard asked.  
  
"Yes," the brave confirmed, "I was alone on the raid of the Peacecraft home itself."  
  
"How did you learn her name?" Leader Winner inquired. Heero hesitated for a moment, seeming to attempt to remember when he had learned his charge's name.  
  
"Duo and I were speaking to each other on our way home from the raid. She had become startled when the name Peacecraft was mentioned. I came to the conclusion later that she had some relation to Zechs Marquis and confided in Quatre about it."  
  
Hearing the prompt, Quatre picked up from there, "We discussed it as a group and decided that the best way to find out the information we needed was to speak to her. When asked in English what her name was, she gave it to us without any further motivation."  
  
The Council was silent for a moment, trading looks with each other. The five braves waited patiently in their positions across from the Elders for the reaction to the news of Relena. Heero pushed away the thoughts of her fate now that the Council knew of her existence in the Village. There was no place for those feelings in this room, with these powerful men and women. Feelings are a weakness in this room, he told himself silently, engraining it into the front of his brain. They would get him nowhere fast.  
  
"We will discuss this development in a private Council," Elder Jor concluded, sightless eyes looking at each of the five young warriors before him. "For the time being, I feel that we have all the information needed to proceed in our plans. You are dismissed. Be prepared for further orders in the future."  
  
Moving as one, the five braves bent over double pressing their palms to the ground in front of them and their foreheads to their hands. Quatre stood first and the others followed his example keeping their eyes downcast as they exited the chambers one at a time. Behind them, the heavy doors closed.  
  
AN: Alrighty then. There you go, out faster than usual, but I will still ask for ideas because I've found that they do indeed give me a push in the right direction. So, thanks guys!  
  
NOTES ABOUT THE STORY:  
  
1) Elder Jor (also known as Doctor J) is blind in this because there was no way I could figure out how to keep his signature goggles/glasses in without making this little world of mine even weirder.  
  
2) Yes, during this time, Relena is actually teaching Heero how to read. I just haven't put it into a scene yet. He's still teaching her to speak Resh'ta-ne as well.  
  
3) I apologize about the short little segments in the middle, but I meant to do that. I wanted to give you guys a little look at each of the characters without over doing it. Short and sweet you know?  
  
4) I am a Wufei/Meiran fan. But I don't dislike the Wufei/Sally coupling. It just couldn't fit in this story. There are so few fics with Meiran in them; I had to show you guys how cute their marriage would have been if she hadn't died in the first place.  
  
5) If you don't know who Meiran is, I suggest you go to your local bookstore (try Borders, they have a good selection) and pick up the Gundam Wing manga "Episode Zero." It gives you a good look at each of the character's pasts and little clues as to why they do the things they do. It is actually a canon manga, written by one of the screen writers from the series. I highly recommend it for any Gundam Wing Fan. 


	9. The Outsider

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Dances in the Glen  
  
By: SaiyanBlack  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Heero was sitting in the low shelf built into the rock under a large window in the central quarters of the Wolf Wing Clan. He wasn't alone; women of the clan were going about normal daily business in the room, barely sparing him a glance. Or if they did, he didn't notice. A soft breeze came in through the opening behind him, playing with a few strands of his hair and sending cool fingers of air down his bare spine. He hardly felt the passing of time as he sat there, thinking.  
  
A large, warm hand on his bent head startled him, but he didn't outwardly show it, instead letting the comfort that radiated from the caring gesture seep into him.  
  
"How bad is it?" he asked in a low voice, knowing that his question could not be directly answered. The warmth of his bu'lasa's hand didn't recede as the older man sat next to him on the stone shelf.  
  
"Not the best, but it isn't bad. You could have done worse."  
  
Heero sighed; he was still in deep, no matter what he tried to do about it. He'd killed. Worse, he'd given the order to kill. Luckily, he'd been able to save Duo's hide from the punishment as well. He remembered the open look that the braided brave had given him as they exited the Council Chambers. It was full of thanks and worry. But it was the least he could do. He'd still given that order.  
  
"I failed," he said out loud. Next to him, Odin snorted in contempt. The aging blonde man leaned over so that his head was level with that of his foster son's.  
  
"Look across the room," he ordered in a kind voice. Heero followed orders and his dark blue eyes came to rest on a familiar sight.  
  
Sitting with a Resh'ta-ne woman was Relena, who had a puzzled but determined look on her face as she listened to the woman talk. The woman was Luyu, a newly married girl, only a couple season-turns older than him. Her gold earrings glinted in the combined light of the cooking fires and the sun as she spoke slowly to the young blonde.  
  
He watched as Relena nodded, paused a moment before carefully speaking back to Luyu. It occurred to him that she was trying to use what little she knew of his language to communicate with the older girl and was not doing it so successfully if the black haired girl's giggle was any indication.  
  
"Heero," his bu'lasa said, "getting her was the best thing you could have done. It may have been luck, but such strength is always something the Council looks for. A leader must listen to the spirits, the earth, their mind and their heart before such luck as you have can come to them. Your heart will take you places if you follow it, remember that."  
  
He stood, his hand on Heero's bare shoulder, "Don't worry about the naming, the spirits know what they're doing. By the way," he added before he turned away. "Go to the shaman and perform the Aish'tala. It will take the weight off your shoulders."  
  
Odin left, nodding to a few of the older women in greeting as he left the large room. The brave turned his eyes back to the two young women before him and watched as they spoke to each other. She was learning, he thought to himself, but there were still so many things she didn't understand. Their culture was still alien to her, though sometimes he forgot that. She seemed to soak up everything like a dry cloth in water.  
  
He sighed, maybe his bu'lasa was right. He needed to be cleansed of the blood of men before he could see things clearly. His conscience weighed too heavily upon his mind for him to work correctly. Maybe that's all he needed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The darkness surrounded him, washing over him within the pure water that fell over his shoulders from above. His breathing was even, his heart beat steady, but his mind was inward. Looking at the past, present and future.  
  
~*~  
  
"What's your name, chey?"  
  
A small shake of the head.  
  
"No name huh?"  
  
~  
  
Bright golden eyes looked up at him, open trust showing in the amber depths.  
  
"I don't care what the Elders say, you're my friend."  
  
~  
  
"What can I do?"  
  
"Just follow your heart, Heero. For warriors like you and me, that's the best way to live without regrets."  
  
~  
  
Black eyes considered golden ones for several moments and he watched as the two creatures seemed to communicate silently. Zero let out a puff of air and Finn moved forward to lick at the horse's muzzle in a friendly way. He was glad that they got along.  
  
~  
  
"Congratulations, Heero. Welcome to the world of men."  
  
"Thank you, Jor-tyee."  
  
~  
  
"In the light of the massacres of our people by the white men, the Council has decided that a small force of warriors should be created to protect the Village from outside view. Because each of you has exceptional abilities for your age, you have been chosen to represent your Clans."  
  
~  
  
"What do we tell them, Heero? We just killed ten men."  
  
"We'll tell them the truth . . . that I gave the order."  
  
~  
  
"Relena, come."  
  
Curiosity shone in her blue eyes, "Where are we going?"  
  
He looked back at her over his shoulder in the breaking dawn.  
  
"Home."  
  
~  
  
"Go to the shaman and perform the Aish'tala. It will take the weight off your shoulders."  
  
~  
  
"Hey Heero! I just heard the good news! Congratulations!"  
  
"Thank you, Quatre."  
  
~  
  
"What's wrong with the idiot? I haven't seen him around in a couple of days."  
  
"The girl, Hilde, is sick. Sally-winema doesn't think she is going to make it, Wufei."  
  
~  
  
A young woman with shining blonde hair smiled at someone out of his view, her blue eyes twinkling with happiness as the sun caught the feathered earrings in her ears and the ceremonial painting on her cheeks.  
  
~  
  
Gun shots. Darkness to one side of him and burning light to the other. Flames caught everything, destroying their home. Animals ran for the woods, braves lay on the ground motionless. There was crying all around him . . . and shouts. Men were yelling orders at each other. But they weren't his people.  
  
They were white men.  
  
~*~  
  
When Heero returned to the well lit chamber of the tribe's shaman, the blonde woman turned immediately to look up at his damp form. The purifying water of the Aish'tala clung to his dark hair and bleached hide clothing, but never did one drop fall to the flat stone floor. Sally's light blue eyes considered his indifferent expression before she stood to his height.  
  
"What did you see?" she inquired through ritual. He seemed to think a moment before meeting her gaze straight on.  
  
"Praise, sickness, marriage, fire . . . and death."  
  
He bowed to her, his troubled blue eyes leaving hers and exited the chambers. She watched his back as he disappeared behind the door of her chambers. Sally sighed, silently returning to her seat to think. A young woman who was training in the healing arts came up to her position with a cup of liquid between her hands. The shaman took the drink, nodding to the young brunette.  
  
"What troubles you, Sally-winema?" she asked in a small voice.  
  
The older woman looked up at the apprentice, "Heero has confirmed my suspicions. If what the a'saii are seeing in the water is true, our people are in great danger."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Lena! Lena! Lena! Lena!!"  
  
Relena let out a deep breath, trying to let out her growing annoyance that way instead of snapping at the young boy. She turned to look over her shoulder at Eli, who sat behind her away from the fire. She had hopped that the wooden building sticks provided by Luyu would entertain him for longer than five minutes. Apparently not.  
  
"What is it, Eli?" she asked, turning to look at him.  
  
The boy held up his creation, a jumble of wooden sticks with the ends wedged in holes on the sides of other sticks. It almost looked like the framework of a house, or one of the portable tents that the braves carried around when they left the Village. She smiled at the boy, who beamed up at her in return.  
  
"See? It's Zero!" he exclaimed and Relena chuckled, knowing how unlike the black stallion the little creation really was.  
  
"What is Zero?" she asked, using the opportunity to help him learn.  
  
"Horsy!"  
  
She laughed, finding the childish term endearingly cute. "Right! Now what's the word that Heero uses?"  
  
He paused for a moment, staring at the jumble of sticks in his hands before looking back up at her with a smile.  
  
"Ah-ah-nuh!"  
  
"Close," she told him with an amused smile, "A'ana. Try again."  
  
"Ah-ah-nuh."  
  
Relena opened her mouth to correct him when the door flap to the common room flipped open, Heero coming in looking a bit damp. Some of the other women in the room didn't even look up as he walked through the room and the few that did, didn't pay him a second glance. But she watched him the entire time, maybe searching for some type of recognition from him. He hadn't once talked to her in the three days that they had been here and not once had he even glanced at her.  
  
There was sudden movement to her left side as Heero passed behind her and she turned when she heard a strangled cry. Above her, the dark brave held the wrist of an elderly woman which was raised as if to strike the blonde girl. Relena stared wide eyed as Heero forced the woman to the floor with his grip, no emotion on his face.  
  
"Quali'la nusu chey-la," he said in dark tones as he stared the woman down. He released her wrist and she pulled it to her chest, holding it there as if he had hurt her. And he probably had. All Relena could understand from the exchange was one word: "her."  
  
"Relena," he called and she looked up at his face, but he was looking away from her so she could not see his expression. "Collect your things here, you're coming with me."  
  
She nodded, turning to gather the dried food and pelts given to her by the Clan leader and the sticks Eli had been playing with when all this started. Standing, she grabbed the small boy's hand and followed after a quickly moving Heero, who had started on his way once he saw that she was ready. As the left the common room, she tried to ignore the silence, but she had a feeling that she had done something very, very wrong.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
AN: I know it's a bit short, but I'm on a time crunch with classes and felt I should put this up before months upon months pass by. Finals are coming, so let's hope that I'm able to do another chapter within or before that time. Love you all! 


End file.
